Issaquah, WA Mobility & Curb Rules: E-Bike Classes (2026)

Chapter 10.48 IMC starts from the printed definition of an electric-assisted bicycle: two or three wheels, a saddle, fully operative pedals for human propulsion, and an electric motor with a power output of no more than 750 watts. The bicycle must then meet one of three classifications. In a Class 1 bicycle the motor provides assistance only while the rider is pedaling and stops assisting at 20 miles per hour. In a Class 2 bicycle the motor can be used exclusively to propel the bicycle, but it cannot provide assistance once the bicycle reaches 20 miles per hour. A Class 3 motor assists only while the rider is pedaling, stops at 28 miles per hour, and the bicycle must be equipped with a speedometer.

The riding restrictions in IMC 10.48.030 name only Class 3. Under subsection A, no one can operate a Class 3 electric-assisted bicycle on any sidewalk, pedestrian path, shared use path or park trail. The one printed exception covers the sidewalk: operation there is permitted when there is no safe alternative or the sidewalk is part of a bicycle path. Subsection B separately bars Class 3 bicycles from any City-owned or controlled park and from any other City property except parking lots. The section prints no equivalent ban on Class 1 or Class 2 bicycles.

The chapter draws a hard line between e-bikes and electric motorcycles. Under IMC 10.48.010, a machine without fully operable pedals, over 750 watts, or capable of more than 28 miles per hour with motor assistance falls on the motorcycle side, and IMC 10.48.020 then requires registration with the Washington State Department of Licensing, a license plate, and a driver's license with a motorcycle endorsement, and bars anyone under 16 from operating one.

The Issaquah Police Department enforces the chapter under IMC 10.48.050. An officer can impound a violating electric-assisted bicycle without notice (IMC 10.48.040(A)), following the impound procedures in IMC 10.34.040 through 10.34.080, and the bicycle can be redeemed under IMC 10.34.070. A minor is anyone under 18, and a guardian who authorizes or knowingly permits a minor to ride in violation of the chapter shares liability with the minor.