Lafayette, LA Mobility & Curb Rules: E-Bike Classes (2026)

Sec. 98-202 of the Lafayette City-Parish Code sets the technical line between an 'electric-assisted bicycle' and a plain bike: two tandem wheels of at least 16 inches (or three wheels of at least 20 inches), fully operable pedals, and a motor under 750 watts. Within that definition, the code splits three classes by how the motor behaves. A Class 1 bike's motor helps only while the rider is pedaling and cuts out at 20 miles per hour. Class 2 can be propelled by the motor alone, without pedaling, but is likewise capped at 20 miles per hour.

Class 3 again assists only while pedaling but doesn't cut off until 28 miles per hour. Sec. 98-214(b), the rider-facing rule for shared-fleet e-bikes, treats all three classes the same operationally: a user must hold a valid driver's license and be at least 16 years old, must park in compliance with the deployment rules of Sec. 98-209(d), must operate consistent with the general-use rules of Sec. 98-207, and must stay inside the geofenced service area of Sec. 98-208. Because Louisiana law treats electric-assisted bicycles as bicycles for helmet purposes, Sec.

98-214(b)(4) requires every rider to wear a helmet under La. S. 32:190. , cannot carry more passengers than the bike is built for, cannot tow anything, and cannot text while riding, the same curfew and conduct rules that apply to shared scooters under the article.