Riders on e-bikes and electric scooters in Everett face a new set of rules after the City Council passed Ordinance CB 2606-34 on July 23, banning powered devices from downtown sidewalks, requiring helmets for minors, and imposing fines starting at $50 per violation.
The ordinance passed as Everett ranks fifth among Washington cities for e-bike hospitalizations and third for electric scooter hospitalizations, according to the city's legislative findings in the ordinance.
What changed
The new law creates a downtown no-ride zone for all powered e-bikes and scooters on sidewalks bounded by Broadway Avenue, West Marine View Drive, Everett Avenue, and Pacific Avenue.
Devices capable of exceeding 20 mph are restricted to roadways, parking lots, and private property citywide.
Riders under 16 must wear helmets and are limited to Class 1 and 2 e-bikes (those capped at 20 mph). Children under 11 must also ride under direct adult supervision.
Riders 16 and older need helmets only on Class 3 devices that exceed 20 mph.
Modifying a device to increase its speed is prohibited, and charging e-bikes or scooters on city property is banned.
The numbers
A first offense carries a $50 civil infraction. Subsequent violations cost $150 each. Negligent operation is a traffic infraction with a $250 penalty, and reckless endangerment with a device is a gross misdemeanor.
Courts may order restitution up to $5,000. Parents who knowingly allow minors under 16 to break the rules can be held liable.
The ordinance cites a 483% increase in Washington e-bike injuries between 2020 and 2024. Hospitalizations statewide rose from zero in 2020 to 149 cases in 2025, according to the ordinance's legislative findings.
The Everett Fire Department responded to 49 electric-device injury calls over the past 12 months, per the same findings. Statewide, riders wore helmets only 30% of the time in e-bike and e-scooter injuries during that period.
The debate
Council Member Luis Burbano successfully amended the ordinance to allow motorized scooters on streets with speed limits above 30 mph when no bike lanes or sidewalks exist.
He pointed to 100th Street Southwest, a 35 mph road without bike lanes or sidewalks in some stretches, as an example.
"We need to have laws that defend and protect the users, everybody, not laws that make people's lives more difficult," Burbano said.
Enforcement approach
Assistant City Attorney Hil Kaman, who drafted the ordinance, said at the July 1, 2026, first reading that police will not conduct proactive enforcement but will focus on public outreach and education, with authority to act against "egregious violators."
Kaman told the council on July 23 that the broad device definitions were intentional. The ordinance applies only to motor-powered devices. Traditional kick scooters are exempt.
What's next
Thursday's vote was the third and final reading of CB 2606-34.
No further council action is scheduled. ESSB 6110 directs a Washington state work group to deliver additional e-bike regulation recommendations to the Legislature by fall 2027.
Everett signed a two-year contract with Lime for e-scooter rentals in 2025, according to the Everett Herald. Those scooters remain available on city streets under the new rules.
Residents can contact the City Council at [email protected] or 425-257-8703.
