Battle Creek, MI Mobility & Curb Rules: Shared E-Scooter Rules (2026)

Section 819.03 requires any entity seeking to operate a shared electric scooter program within the City to first obtain an electric scooter share license, conditioned on compliance with Chapter 819 and any insurance, indemnity and performance bond conditions the issuing official sets. The license lasts two years, with an initial business license fee for the first term and a compliance fee in the second year, and renewal follows the same pattern. Amounts come from the § 802.24 fee, bond and insurance schedule. The City limits the number of licenses to no more than three at any given time.

The City Clerk issues licenses (§ 819.04). The application lists owners and partners, the logo visible on every scooter, a public complaint phone number, email and website, a certificate of insurance and a description of each scooter model with serial numbers and number of units. The Chief of Police or a designee investigates, and the Battle Creek Police Department inspects 10% of the proposed fleet before issuance (§ 819.05(b)). An application missing required information, or from an applicant with two or more violations of the chapter in the past year, is automatically denied, and the Clerk must approve, deny or approve with conditions within 21 days of a complete filing.

Section 819.06 sets operating duties. Licensees carry commercial general liability of $1,000,000 each occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, automobile coverage of $1,000,000, and umbrella coverage of $5,000,000. They target an initial fleet of 100 scooters, run 24-hour customer service, and must relocate, re-park or remove incorrectly parked, unsafe, or seventy-two-hour stationary scooters within twenty-four hours of notice, or within four hours in emergencies. City crews can remove and store a scooter at the licensee's expense, not to exceed $20 per scooter per seven consecutive day period. A licensee is not required to deploy where average ridership is below 1.5 rides per day.

Riding rules sit in § 819.10. No one under eighteen can operate a shared scooter, and no one under twelve any scooter. Speed is capped at twenty miles per hour on streets, fifteen on the linear path and ten on sidewalks, where riding is allowed only in the Central Business District. The chapter prints no named no-ride or geofenced zone; its restrictions are sidewalk limits and no-parking areas such as the pedestrian through zone, ADA paths, fire hydrants, transit zones, loading zones, curb ramps, entryways and driveways. Under § 819.13 the City can require anonymized ride data.