Winter Haven, FL Mobility & Curb Rules: E-Bike Classes (2026)

Winter Haven Code of Ordinances § 18-101 defines "bicycle" broadly enough to cover today's e-bikes without using the state's Class 1/2/3 labels: the definition includes a human-powered bicycle, a "motorized bicycle" combining human power with an electric helper motor capped at 20 miles per hour on level ground, and "any wheeled electric and/or motorized vehicle whose top speed is not greater than twenty-five (25) miles per hour," all governed the same way under this article. No person under age 16 may operate or ride a motorized bicycle.

Section 18-102 then sets where any of these machines may go: riding on a sidewalk is barred within the downtown business district, any other business district, or any sidewalk marked pedestrians-only, though a rider allowed on a sidewalk elsewhere must yield to pedestrians and give an audible signal before passing. Riders must stay in single file when two or more ride together on a sidewalk, may not ride side-by-side there, and generally must obey the same state and local traffic laws as a motor vehicle driver.

The section also bans carrying a passenger on the handlebars, frame or tank (except a securely attached child in an approved seat or trailer), requires every bicycle in nighttime use to carry a working brake, a rear reflector, a front white lamp visible 500 feet and a rear light visible 600 feet, and a bell or other audible warning device.