eBike Regulations

The Rules Today

City of Ottawa Ordinance (2025)

Where you can ride: city streets posted 25 mph or less. Riding around Heritage Harbor’s streets is legal today.

Off-limits: streets over 25 mph, LaSalle Street in the downtown business district, sidewalks, city parks, and other public property.

Minimum age: 16 for all e-bike classes (Class 1, 2, and 3).

No driver’s license required for Class 1–3 e-bikes.

Motors 750 watts and up: prohibited everywhere in the city — streets, paths, and parking lots.

Violations: fines of $75–$750 and possible impoundment by Ottawa PD.

Starting January 1, 2027

Illinois State Law (SB 3484)

Where you can ride: Class 1–3 e-bikes are treated like bicycles statewide — ride wherever bicycles are allowed: streets, bike lanes, and bike paths. Ottawa’s 25-mph street limit, downtown ban, and parks ban go away.

Still off-limits: sidewalks and interstate-type highways, same as any bicycle. (State agencies and park districts can set rules for their own trails.)

Minimum age: 15 for Class 1 and 2; 16 for Class 3.

Still no license, registration, or insurance for Class 1–3 e-bikes.

Motors over 750 watts become “motor driven cycles”: driver’s license, insurance, and title required — and banned from all bike lanes, paths, and trails.

One statewide rulebook: local e-bike ordinances no longer apply. The same rules cover Ottawa, Utica, and everywhere in between.

Class 1

Pedal assist up to 20 mph

Class 2

Throttle up to 20 mph

Class 3

Pedal assist up to 28 mph