Bozeman, MT Mobility & Curb Rules: Shared E-Scooter Rules (2026)

Section 36.01.130 of the Bozeman Municipal Code makes it unlawful to operate a commercial shared micromobility business in the city without a license. It applies to all forms of rental, including mobile application based rentals, but only to businesses whose principal service to the public is renting bicycles or motorized personal transportation devices. Chapter 36 defines the second term in section 36.01.020.A.15 to cover motorized foot scooters, motorized skateboards, motor or battery power driven bicycles and similar devices, and it excludes electronic personal assistive transportation devices, motorized wheelchairs, motor driven cycles, mopeds and motorcycles. A motorized foot scooter, under A.14, has no more than two ten-inch or smaller diameter wheels, has handlebars, is designed to be stood upon, and is powered by an internal combustion engine or electric motor.

A company applies to the department of transportation and engineering and submits a signed acknowledgement of terms of operation before it deploys any fleet. The city manager sets those terms and can revise them as the city's needs and the industry change. The code section itself prints no fleet caps or no-ride zones; it says the terms will include insurance and indemnification requirements and provisions for suspension or revocation, among other terms. Each license is valid for one calendar year with an expiration date fixed in the terms of operation, and the company must file a renewal application, the fee and a fresh signed acknowledgement every year.

Riders are covered by other rules. The definition of vehicle in section 36.01.020.A.37 includes any motorized personal transportation device, and by its terms section 36.03.220 bars the driver of a vehicle from driving within any sidewalk area except at a driveway. Section 26.02.140.B prohibits bicycles, scooters and motorized vehicles from any city-owned skateboard facility.