Seattle, WA Mobility & Curb Rules: Shared E-Scooter Rules (2026)

Seattle regulates the scooter itself rather than the person who owns it. Section 11.14.333 defines a motorized foot scooter as a two or three wheel device with a floorboard that can be stood or sat upon, powered by an internal combustion engine or electric motor, with a maximum speed of no greater than 20 miles per hour on level ground. Motor-driven cycles, mopeds, electric-assisted bicycles and motorcycles are excluded. Section 11.46.040 extends the same rules to any look-alike device that differs only in wheel size and does not qualify as one of those excluded vehicles.

Where you can ride: Section 11.46.010 puts motorized foot scooters on roadways, shoulders, alleys, bicycle lanes and public paths. Sidewalks are off limits unless there is no alternative route and the sidewalk is part of a bicycle or pedestrian path. Park use is governed separately by the limits in SMC Title 18, and neither scooters nor EPAMDs (self-balancing electric personal assistive mobility devices such as one-wheel and two-wheel units) can be operated on public school playfields or playgrounds. The area limits do not apply to a person with a mobility impairment caused by a physical disability who uses the device to enhance that person's mobility.

How you must ride: Section 11.46.020 requires a brake able to make the braked wheels skid on dry, level, clean pavement. From a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise, the scooter needs a front lamp with a white light visible at least 500 feet ahead and a red rear reflector, of a type approved by the State Patrol, visible up to 600 feet back. Every operator wears a protective helmet designed for bicycle safety, and no passenger is allowed. Operators yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and human-powered devices at all times and give an audible signal before overtaking and passing them. Otherwise the rider has the same rights and duties as a bicyclist on any part of a highway.

Speed-limited zones: The Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation can designate zones, and set the hours they apply, where congested pedestrian or nonmotorized traffic is present, a significant speed differential would exist, and scooter traffic could endanger public safety. Inside a zone, electric scooters and EPAMDs cannot exceed 5 miles per hour on any sidewalk, crosswalk or pedestrian zone.

Gas scooters carry two extra rules: no one under 16 can operate one on a roadway, shoulder or alley (Section 11.46.020.C), and each needs a working muffler with no cutout or bypass (Section 11.46.030).