Smyrna, GA Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)

The rule sits in Chapter 90 of the Smyrna Code of Ordinances, Streets, Sidewalks and Other Public Places, under Article II, Obstructions. Section 90-36 is titled "Bicycles, skateboards, roller skates, roller skis, and similar vehicles." The Mayor and Council adopted it in 1997 (Ord. No. 97-06) and amended it in 2009 (Ord. No. 2009-9).

Subsection (a) sets the default. Except as authorized in the section, operating or riding a bicycle, skateboard, roller skates or a similar vehicle on any public sidewalk within the city, or on a common area of the city, is unlawful and can be punished as a misdemeanor. The reach is the sidewalk and the city's common areas. The section does not mention roadways.

Subsection (b) carves out the multi-use trail. Any person can operate or ride a bicycle, skate board, roller skates, roller skis or a similar vehicle on a trail the city has designated as a public multi-use trail inside the incorporated limits. The code defines a multi-use trail as a paved or unpaved trail with a minimum width of ten feet, designed according to Georgia Department of Transportation specifications for shared use trails. A path narrower than ten feet does not meet that definition.

Subsection (c) gives one age-based exception, and it covers bicycles only: a person 12 years of age or younger can ride a bicycle on a public sidewalk. A child on a skateboard or roller skates gets no such exception.

Minors also get a warning step. No minor can be charged under the section until the minor has failed to obey the lawful warning of an authorized city officer to cease the operation. The text prints no comparable warning requirement for adults.