Council Bluffs, IA Mobility & Curb Rules: Shared E-Scooter Rules (2026)

Council Bluffs does not run a distinct shared-scooter or dockless-vehicle permitting ordinance; instead every electric scooter, whether personally owned or rented from an operator, falls under Chapter 9.09's general personal-transport-vehicle rules. CBMC 9.09.020 defines an electric scooter as a device with at least two wheels, an electric motor, a top motor-only speed under 20 miles per hour on a paved level surface, and a weight under 80 pounds. CBMC 9.09.030 then bars operating any electric scooter or other personal transport vehicle, on foot power or motor, on any highway or sidewalk inside the Skateboard Free Zone, the downtown perimeter running from 16th Avenue and 7th Street north to Kanesville Boulevard, east to First Street, south to Fifth Avenue, west to Main Street, and back to 16th Avenue, as mapped in CBMC 9.10.040.

Two exceptions in CBMC 9.09.040 apply chapter-wide: a device used as a mobility conveyance for a documented medical necessity, and any scooter, e-bike, or other transport vehicle used temporarily as part of a recognized civic, patriotic, or religious holiday event. Chapter 9.09 was enacted by Ordinance 5802 in 2004 and most recently amended by Ordinance 6459 on July 12, 2021, and by Ordinance 6403 in 2019, which updated the chapter's definitions.