New Albany and Gahanna each passed their own e-bike rules in 2025 and 2026. A bill introduced Wednesday, Oct. 7, in the Ohio Senate would establish statewide standards.

Senate Bill 477, introduced by state Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, would ban riders under 14 from operating e-bikes and e-scooters, require helmets for all riders, and set speed limits on shared-use paths and sidewalks. State Rep. Eric Synenberg, D-Beachwood, plans to introduce a companion bill in the Ohio House in the coming weeks, the Ohio Capital Journal reported.

The legislation matters locally because the two cities wrote different rules. New Albany's Ordinance O-40-2025, adopted Oct. 21, 2025, requires helmets only for riders under 18 and caps speeds at 10 mph on the city's 84-plus miles of shared-use paths.

Gahanna City Council adopted its own helmet ordinance, ORD-0028-2026, on Aug. 3, 2026. Gahanna allows Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes on sidewalks outside business districts, while New Albany bans motors on sidewalks entirely.

Under SB 477, every rider would need a helmet regardless of age. The bill would also require a $25 state registration, with a minor misdemeanor and possible 30-day impoundment for unregistered devices. Riders would need a driver's license, learner's permit or completion of a safety course to register, NBC4 reported.

"Current law has no (age) limit for the Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes," Synenberg told the Ohio Capital Journal. "A six-year-old could be riding one."

Ohio classifies e-bikes in three classes. Class 1 and Class 2 models top out around 20 mph; Class 3 e-bikes can reach 28 mph.

Current state law requires Class 3 riders to be at least 16 and wear a helmet but sets no minimum age for the slower classes.

The proposed speed limits of 10 mph on shared-use paths and 5 mph on sidewalks would match what New Albany already enforces on its paths. Available Gahanna ordinances do not include a specific path speed limit.

Gahanna Deputy Police Chief Ethan Moffitt flagged the speed issue in June 2026, telling CityScene Magazine that some e-bikes reach nearly 30 mph. Gahanna Police Chief Spence told council at the June 1, 2026, meeting that officers have difficulty distinguishing between e-bike classes and that the department was seeing electric motorcycles and dirt bikes capable of 50 mph.

Synenberg told NBC4 on Oct. 7 that Ohio's 2,234 local governments are each writing their own rules. Rep. Kevin Miller, R-Newark, a co-sponsor, said he does not expect state regulations would override home rule, meaning cities like New Albany and Gahanna could keep stricter local standards.

Sponsors cited rising injury numbers. Children ages 11 to 14 account for nearly 40% of all pediatric e-bike and scooter injuries nationwide, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. By mid-July 2026, Akron Children's Hospital had already surpassed its total e-bike and e-scooter injury count for all of 2025, DeMora said.

Ohio lawmakers are on break until after the November election. Any bill that does not pass before the General Assembly's two-year session ends in December would have to be reintroduced. Synenberg said he wants regulations in place by spring.