Manatee County, FL Mobility & Curb Rules: Bike Lane Rules (2026)

Manatee County's traffic code lets bicycles use the public sidewalks anywhere in the unincorporated area under the county's traffic-control jurisdiction, per Sec. 2-22-17(a), adopted by Ord. No. 25-35 on July 29, 2025. Electric bicycles carry a separate, tighter rulebook layered on top of that permission. Riders over sixteen must use a bike path instead of the sidewalk whenever one is available, and using the sidewalk in that situation is itself a violation of the article. An adult accompanying children under sixteen on a sidewalk may stay on an e-bike alongside them so supervision is not broken.

Anyone under sixteen is flatly barred from operating a Class 3 e-bike, the fastest tier, on roads, paths or shared roadways at all. Speed and power are capped directly: no sidewalk speed for an e-bike, moped, motorized scooter or electric personal assistive mobility device may exceed fifteen miles per hour, and any e-bike producing over seven hundred fifty watts is banned outright from sidewalks, bike paths and shared roadways/pathways. School buses get their own rule: an e-bike must come to a full stop when a school bus ahead shows its stop signal, and passing on the side where children load or unload while the signal is out is a specific violation.

On shared pathways not next to a road, including those inside parks, bicycles and e-bikes must yield to pedestrians and sound a warning before passing. At unsignalized intersections, riders must stop and yield to any vehicle already present, and on sidewalks they follow pedestrian "Walk" signals. Motorized wheelchairs are exempted entirely, consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act.