Tempe, AZ Mobility & Curb Rules: Shared E-Scooter Rules (2026)

Chapter 19, Article XVI defines two scooter types separately from bicycles. An electric miniature scooter under Section 19-1 weighs less than 30 pounds, has two or three wheels, handlebars, and a floorboard to stand on, and tops out at 10 mph on a paved level surface. An electric standup scooter weighs less than 75 pounds, has the same handlebar-and-floorboard design, and tops out at 20 mph, and by definition excludes anything that qualifies as a miniature scooter. Both, along with motorized skateboards, fall under the broader 'non-human powered vehicle' definition, which is treated differently from an electric bicycle in several respects.

Non-human powered vehicles are not required to be licensed, registered, or insured under Section 19-184(d), and their operators get a bicycle rider's rights and duties on the roadway under Section 19-184(a). But Section 19-214(i) draws a hard line the e-bike rules do not: no person may operate a non-human powered vehicle in any City parking structure or City park, except on public pathways or roadways within that park, or in any City preserve, and no one may ride one on private property belonging to someone else, or on public property not held open for vehicle use, without the written permission of the owner or the person entitled to possession.

Section 19-213 additionally requires a scooter rider to yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian or horse on a shared or multi-use path and to slow to 5 mph while communicating before passing. Section 19-215 requires an ANSI-certified helmet for any rider under 18, and Section 19-216 requires front and rear lighting after dark.