Portsmouth, VA Mobility & Curb Rules: Shared E-Scooter Rules (2026)

Sec. 32-30(a) prohibits the offering for use, or actual use, of shared mobility devices for hire, the section names motorized skateboards, e-scooters, motorized scooters, motorized bicycles and electric power-assisted bicycles, on any Portsmouth street, sidewalk or other public way, unless the operation falls under the City of Portsmouth Shared Mobility Device Pilot Program or a related program city council authorizes from time to time. That means a private scooter or bike-share company cannot drop devices on Portsmouth streets on its own initiative; it needs the city to bring it into, or approve it under, an authorized program first, with council controlling which companies operate and on what terms.

Sec. 32-30(b) narrows the reach of the ban: it applies only to devices offered for hire as a shared fleet. A resident's own e-scooter, electric bike or motorized skateboard is not covered, so personally-owned mobility devices can be ridden on city streets, sidewalks and public ways without running into this section. The ordinance, adopted by Ord. No. 2019-98 in November 2019, gives city council the exclusive gatekeeping role over any commercial shared micromobility fleet in the city rather than leaving deployment to open market entry.

Any no-ride zones, device caps, parking rules or fee terms for an authorized fleet come from the pilot program's own operating agreement rather than from a separate provision spelled out in Sec. 32-30 itself.