Downey, CA Mobility & Curb Rules: Shared E-Scooter Rules (2026)

2 defines an Electric Standup Scooter as a device with no more than three wheels of 12 inches or smaller in diameter, handlebars, a stand-up riding design, a weight cap of 50 pounds, and an electric motor limited to 15 miles per hour on a paved level surface. A Shared-Use Mobility Device is any such device, or other rentable transportation device, placed for rent on a public street, sidewalk, parkway, or other city-controlled outdoor area; the definition specifically carves out App-Based Rideshare vehicles, licensed taxicabs, motorbuses, automobiles for hire, the Downey Dial-A-Ride and Downey-Link programs, and vehicles rented through a licensed car rental agency.

Subsection (b) authorizes the Director of Community Development to run a pilot Shared-Use Mobility Device Program for electric standup scooters and to adopt implementing rules covering permit procedures, operations, insurance, indemnification, fees, and impoundment. Subsection (c) then makes a current, valid Shared-Use Mobility Device Permit mandatory: no person may operate a scooter-share program, or otherwise offer shared devices for rent in Downey, without one, and every permitted operator must comply with all rules, regulations, and permit conditions the Director sets. Because the ordinance builds the actual operating standards into director-issued rules rather than the code text itself, permit conditions such as fleet caps and no-ride zones can be updated administratively without a new City Council ordinance.