Fort Collins, CO Mobility & Curb Rules: Shared E-Scooter Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Operating basis
- Requires City services contract
- License exemption
- No separate outdoor vendor license needed
- Parking authority
- Fort Collins Traffic Code governs
- Responsible party
- Fleet owner/operator, not rider
- Effective date
- June 17, 2025 (Ord. No. 094, 2025)
Summary
Shared electric scooters cannot legally operate in Fort Collins unless the operator has signed a services contract with the City under Chapter 8, Article IV. Contracted fleets are exempt from separate outdoor vendor licensing but must still follow every Traffic Code parking rule for the devices.
(a)The operation of shared micromobility services, as defined in § 15-381 above, within the City of Fort Collins is prohibited unless pursuant to a services contract with the City pursuant to Chapter 8, Article IV of this Code.(b)Notwithstanding any other provisions of the Code of the City of Fort Collins and any rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, a person operating a shared micromobility service pursuant to a services contract with the City need not obtain any license otherwise required under this Article in order to operate such service.(c)The operation of shared micromobility services and devices must comply with all applicable provisions of the Fort Collins Traffic Code. A person that owns or operates shared micromobility services is responsible for ensuring all micromobility devices in its fleet are parked in compliance with the Fort Collins Traffic Code when not being actively rented or used.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 155 | Transitional Land Use Code (for project before May 17, 2024): Supplement 61 | Traffic Code: Supplement 27).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 15-395, adopted by Ordinance No. 094, 2025 effective June 17, 2025, makes shared micromobility service, defined in § 15-381 as any service making privately-owned micromobility devices like scooters available to the public that may sit in the right-of-way when idle, unlawful within the City unless operated under a services contract with the City entered under Chapter 8, Article IV of the Code. A company operating under such a contract does not need a separate outdoor vendor license under Article XIV of Chapter 15 to run the program.
Section 15-395(c) requires that operation of shared micromobility services and devices comply with all applicable provisions of the Fort Collins Traffic Code, and it places the burden squarely on the company: the owner or operator of the fleet is responsible for ensuring every device is parked in compliance with the Traffic Code whenever it is not actively being rented or ridden. This ties shared scooter parking and no-ride restrictions to whatever the Traffic Code separately specifies for micromobility devices, rather than setting a standalone parking map inside Chapter 15 itself. Before this 2025 amendment, the Code did not address shared micromobility as its own category within the Outdoor Vendors Article.
Violations & Fines
Operating a shared micromobility service without a City services contract violates § 15-395(a) directly. Devices left out of compliance with Traffic Code parking rules make the fleet operator, not the individual rider, responsible under § 15-395(c); Outdoor Vendors Article violations generally carry a fine or imprisonment under § 1-15 per § 15-392.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can any company just drop shared scooters on Fort Collins streets?
Who is responsible if a shared scooter is parked illegally in Fort Collins?
Does a contracted scooter company still need an outdoor vendor license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fort Collins
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