Santa Fe, NM Mobility & Curb Rules: E-Bike Classes (2026)

Section 12-1-6 of the Santa Fe City Code, adopted by Ordinance 2011-23 and amended by Ordinance 2023-4, defines 'bicycle' to include both traditional human-powered, two-or-more-wheel devices (excluding scooters) and electric bicycles that meet specific power and speed thresholds. Paragraph B sets the outer limit for any electric bicycle at a motor of no more than 750 watts, then splits qualifying devices into three classes. A Class 1 electric bicycle has a motor that assists only while the rider pedals and cuts off at 20 mph.

A Class 2 electric bicycle can propel the rider even without pedaling, but that assistance likewise ceases at 20 mph. A Class 3 electric bicycle assists only while pedaling, like Class 1, but permits assistance up to a higher 28 mph before cutting off. Paragraph C draws the legal line for enforcement purposes: any device with a motor over 750 watts, or one capable of exceeding 28 mph under motor power, is reclassified as a motor vehicle rather than a bicycle, pulling it out of bicycle-specific rules and into the full traffic and registration code that applies to motorized vehicles.

Because Section 12-1-6 sits in Article I's definitions for the city's traffic ordinance, its classification controls where each class of e-bike may lawfully operate under the rest of the traffic regulations, including bike lanes and paths open to 'bicycles' as defined here; a device that fails the definition, an overpowered or overspeed conversion, loses access to those bicycle facilities and must instead comply with motor-vehicle requirements such as registration, insurance, and licensing.