No. In California, you cannot ride an electric scooter on the sidewalk. Vehicle Code Section 21235 bans motorized scooter use on any sidewalk, with one narrow exception: you may briefly cross a sidewalk when entering or leaving adjacent property, such as rolling from a driveway out to the street.1California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 21235 Riding along a sidewalk to skip traffic, even for a block, is a traffic infraction.
What the Ban Actually Covers
The statute is written broadly. Any sidewalk, anywhere in the state, is off limits for riding a motorized scooter. The only carve-out is the moment of crossing between the roadway and a property entrance. That is not a loophole for cruising to the next driveway; it covers the physical act of entering or leaving.1California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 21235
Enforcement has grown in cities where shared scooters from companies like Lime and Bird put thousands of riders on downtown streets. If an officer sees you on the sidewalk, you can be cited on the spot.
Where You Can Ride Instead
California gives scooter riders access to roads, bicycle lanes, and bicycle paths, with conditions on each.
Streets and Roads
You can ride on any road with a posted speed limit of 25 mph or less. On roads posted above 25 mph, you have to stay inside a Class II or Class IV bikeway. A city or county can pass an ordinance allowing scooter use outside of bikeways on roads with limits up to 35 mph, so a route that looks off-limits under state defaults may be legal locally.1California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 21235
When you are moving slower than surrounding traffic, ride as close as practical to the right-hand curb. You can move left to pass, to avoid a hazard, or when the lane is too narrow to share safely with a car. On a one-way street with multiple lanes, riding near the left curb is also allowed.2California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 21228
Bicycle Lanes
If a Class II bike lane runs along the road you are on, you have to use it. You can leave the lane only to pass, to avoid debris, to approach a right turn, or to prepare for a left turn, and you must signal and check that the move is safe first.3California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 21229
Bicycle Paths and Trails
Bicycle paths, trails, and bikeways are open to electric scooters by default. Local governments can ban them by ordinance, and some have done so on popular multi-use trails.4California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 21230 Look for posted signs before you ride onto a path you don’t know well.
The 15 mph Cap Follows You Everywhere
Wherever you legally ride, the maximum speed for a motorized scooter is 15 mph. The cap applies on every road, bikeway, and path in the state, even where cars are allowed to go faster.5California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 22411 Rental scooters are usually software-limited to match, but privately owned scooters that can exceed 15 mph are common, and using that extra speed on a public road is an infraction.
What a Sidewalk Ticket Costs
A sidewalk violation is a traffic infraction, and California’s penalty assessment system makes those tickets more expensive than the base fine suggests. State and county assessments, a court operations fee, a conviction assessment, and a surcharge stack on top of the base amount, so a base fine of $25 can end up over $150 by the time you pay. Higher base fines scale from there.6California Courts. Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules
There is a second cost worth knowing about. If you hit a pedestrian while riding on the sidewalk, you were violating a traffic law at the moment of impact, and that fact sits at the center of any injury claim against you. Homeowner’s or renter’s policies may exclude motorized devices, and standard auto insurance generally does not treat electric scooters as covered vehicles, so the medical bills and property damage can land on you personally.
Local Rules Can Add More Restrictions
State law is the floor. Cities and counties routinely add designated no-ride zones in pedestrian-heavy districts, lower speed limits in specific areas, mandatory parking corrals for shared scooters, and permit rules that shape where rental fleets can operate. Local governments also have the specific power to ban scooters from bicycle paths and bikeways in their jurisdiction,4California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 21230 and to open roads up to 35 mph for scooter use where the state default would otherwise stop you at 25 mph.1California Legislative Information. California Code Vehicle Code 21235
What none of them can do is legalize sidewalk riding. The state ban applies in every California city, so the answer stays the same whether you are in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, or a small town: keep the scooter off the sidewalk, and check your local municipal code for anything extra that applies where you ride.
Which Devices These Rules Cover
The sidewalk ban and the rules above apply to devices that meet California’s definition of a “motorized scooter”: a two-wheeled device with handlebars, powered by a motor, and equipped with either a standing platform or a seat with footrests.7California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 407.5 That includes the standup electric scooters from shared fleets and seated electric scooters. Motorcycles, mopeds, and motor-driven cycles are governed by different, generally stricter rules. A gas-powered scooter that otherwise fits the description is still a motorized scooter under this section, and the sidewalk ban still applies.