Why this site exists
Electric dirt bikes are great machines. Some of the people riding them are costing everyone else the places to ride, and cities are responding the only way they can: with bans.
A few riders act like jerks, and everyone pays
Most riders are fine. But some ride unregistered bikes through neighborhoods, tear across parks and sidewalks, pull wheelies down residential streets, and weave through traffic. Neighbors notice. Police notice. City councils act, and their rules don't distinguish the careful rider from the reckless one.
It's already happening
September 2026Electric motorcycles banned from all public property, paths, and sidewalks.
April 2026Deputies impounded e-motorcycles in Pinebrook ridden without a license, registration, or insurance.
Statewide, the Legislature passed HB 381 in 2026, giving police clearer authority to stop, cite, and impound. Every complaint makes the next ban easier to pass.
Each confirmed change, with its date and official source, is on the ban tracker. Follow it to hear about the next one.
A sport, not a toy
Dirt biking is a sport for responsible riders who want to get off the beaten path, enjoy nature, compete, and encounter wildlife with respect. It is not a toy for a child to terrorize the neighborhood with.
Knobby tires, long suspension, and instant torque are made for trails, riding areas, race tracks, deserts, and mountains. They aren't made for sidewalks, school fields, the park, or laps around the cul-de-sac. Utah has a huge network of OHV trails; the state's OHV map shows where. If you want to ride on the street, make the bike street-legal and ride it like the motorcycle the law says it is.
These aren't just rude. They're illegal.
Since HB 381, an e-moto that's too powerful to be an e-bike counts as an electric motorcycle, so motorcycle law applies on the road.
Illegal on a motorcycle on any road since January 1, 2026. A conviction suspends your motorcycle endorsement, or your driver license if you don't have one, for 90 days, then 180 days for a second, and revokes the endorsement on a third. Police can impound the bike.
Read the statute: § 41-6a-606.1, wheeliesRiding between lanes of moving traffic is banned since January 1, 2026, with the same suspensions and impound as wheelies. Passing stopped traffic, called lane filtering, is allowed only under specific conditions.
Read the statute: § 41-6a-704.1, lane splittingA speed contest or "exhibition of speed" on a road is a class A misdemeanor with a 60-day license suspension. A bike that isn't street legal can be seized.
Read the statute: § 41-6a-606, showing offRiding "in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property" is reckless driving, a class B misdemeanor.
Read the statute: § 41-6a-528, reckless ridingRiding on someone else's private land without permission is an infraction, and refusing to leave when asked is a misdemeanor.
Read the statute: § 41-22-12.5, other people's landNo one under 16 may ride a high-power electric device on any road. Parents who allow it can be cited too. See what kids can ride.
Read the statute: § 41-6a-1511, kids on the roadBe the rider nobody complains about
- Register the bike, and take the free OHV education course. Here's how.
- Ride where it's legal: trails and riding areas, and streets only where your city allows. Check your city.
- Save the wheelies and speed for the track or private land where you have permission.
- Slow down around people, horses, and hikers, and keep the noise down in neighborhoods.
- Help keep this guide right: if your city's rules change, or something here is wrong, email corrections@utahemotoguide.com.
- Parents: know what your kid can legally ride, and where. Take the quiz.
Every rider who follows the rules makes it harder to justify the next ban. That's why this site exists.