New Braunfels, TX Mobility & Curb Rules: Shared E-Scooter Rules (2026)

Article XI of the traffic code defines a 'shared mobility service' as any service that displays, offers, or places for rent on public property one or more motor-assisted scooters, electric bicycles, bicycles or similar personal transportation devices equipped with GPS, whether or not they use a docking station (§126-491). A 'motor-assisted scooter' is a stand-or-sit device with at least two wheels, a working brake, and a gas or electric motor no larger than 40 cubic centimeters; an 'electric bicycle' is capped at 20 miles per hour on motor power alone and 100 pounds.

Section 126-492 bans the operation of these shared devices, and of any device 'acquired through a shared mobility service,' on public sidewalks and public rights-of-way anywhere in the city limits. The prohibition reaches the rider as well as the company: a person who picks up a rented scooter and rides it on a city sidewalk is violating the same section as a company that deploys one there. New Braunfels adopted this citywide ban in 2019, before dockless scooter companies had launched local operations, closing off the sidewalk and street-shoulder riding that made e-scooters controversial in cities like Austin and San Antonio.