Mount Prospect, IL Mobility & Curb Rules: E-Bike Classes (2026)

Sections 23.121 and 23.122 of the Mount Prospect Village Code, enacted in the Village Board's Ordinance 6809 of October 7, 2025, define the three e-bike classes and then regulate them by location, age, equipment and conduct. A Class 1 e-bike gives motor assistance only while the rider pedals and stops assisting at 20 mph. A Class 2 e-bike can be propelled by the motor alone and cannot assist at 20 mph. A Class 3 e-bike assists only while pedaling and stops assisting at 28 mph. The Village Code states that a low-speed electric bike is not a moped or a motor driven cycle.

Where each class may ride is set in Section 23.122(F). Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes, with a maximum assisted speed of 20 mph, are permitted on roadways, bike lanes and shared-use paths, and on a shared-use path the rider must operate safely and yield the right of way to pedestrians. Class 3 e-bikes are permitted on roadways and bike lanes only. Class 2 and Class 3 e-bikes are barred from sidewalks unless a Village bikeway sign directs otherwise or the rider is reaching the pedestrian signal push button at a signalized intersection. All three classes are prohibited in every Village parking deck, except when a rider is accessing the deck entrance to use the bike rack.

Age and equipment rules follow the class. A person may not operate a Class 2 or Class 3 e-bike unless sixteen years of age or older, unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Every e-bike must carry a permanent manufacturer label showing its class, top assisted speed and motor wattage, and every Class 3 e-bike needs a speedometer showing miles per hour. At night an e-bike needs a white front lamp visible from 500 feet and a red rear reflector. Every e-bike needs a working brake. Knowingly changing the manufacturer's speed capability is prohibited, and so is riding an altered e-bike. Helmets are strongly encouraged but not required.

A parked e-bike must stand upright and cannot obstruct pedestrians, people with disabilities or vehicles, and it cannot block a building entrance, fire hydrant or crosswalk. The Mount Prospect Police Department enforces the section, and it can seize and impound an e-bike operated while under the influence, recklessly, or by a repeat violator.