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

Section 10.24.020(C) of the Pismo Beach Municipal Code is a flat prohibition: no motorized scooter share program shall be operated within the city. There is no permit pathway, pilot program or designated zone in the chapter, so there are no no-ride zones to map. The whole city is closed to the business model. Section 10.24.010 defines a motorized scooter share program as a system of self-service motorized scooters for hire that offers users a shared pool of one or more scooters for use on sidewalks, streets, in the public right-of-way, or on public property. The definition reaches a program with only one scooter.

Subsection D backs the ban with a fast removal duty. Once the city notifies an operator that a scooter belonging to its program is parked, left standing or unattended on any sidewalk, street or public right-of-way under city jurisdiction, the operator must remove the scooter within one hour of being notified. Failure to do so results in the scooter being impounded, and the operator can also be issued an administrative citation under Chapter 1.24, the city's administrative code enforcement chapter.

The ban sits alongside a broader restriction on riding. Section 10.24.020(B) bars any person on a motorized skateboard or motorized scooter from public streets, public parking lots, public parks and sidewalks anywhere in the city, so a rented scooter could not be ridden legally in those places even if a program existed. Section 10.24.050 also makes any violation of Chapter 10.24 an infraction, with fines capped at fifty dollars for a first violation, one hundred dollars for a second within one year, and two hundred fifty dollars for each additional violation within one year. The ban and removal language were added to Chapter 10.24 by Ordinance O-2018-014 in 2018.