Tampa, FL Mobility & Curb Rules: Shared E-Scooter Rules (2026)

Tampa's shared scooter program runs on three linked Code sections. Section 25-173 establishes a one-year 'Pilot Program' allowing shared motorized scooters on sidewalks and sidewalk areas, capped at 15 mph, but only for an operator that has signed a pilot program operating agreement with the city and obtained a right-of-way permit. To get in the door, an operator must pay a non-refundable $20,000 application fee plus an ongoing right-of-way fee of $1 per device per day (or $365 per device per year), and each operating agreement expires exactly one year after issuance unless the council votes to reinstate the program.

1 then governs how riders must behave: a scooter rider on a sidewalk, sidewalk area, or crosswalk has the same rights and duties as a pedestrian, must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians, and must give an audible signal before passing one. 5-5, fined at $75 for a first offense, $150 for a second, $300 for a third, and $450 for a fourth or subsequent offense. 2 targets the companies rather than the riders: no operator may display, offer, or rent out a shared mobility device in Tampa without a valid operating agreement, and finding two or more of an unpermitted operator's devices at one location creates a legal presumption that the operator deployed them there. 78, plus any liens and costs the impound process adds.