SB 1167: California’s E-Moto Bill, Disclosures, and E-Bike Labels

California Senate Bill 1167 is a pending state bill that would draw a hard legal line between electric bicycles and the faster, more powerful “e-motos” being sold under the same label. The California SB 1167 e-bike law, introduced by Senator Catherine Blakespear in February 2026, keeps the existing definition of an electric bicycle intact and instead targets everything sold above that line: it makes it illegal to advertise or sell an over-powered device as an e-bike, forces sellers to disclose when a product is actually a moped or motorcycle, and gives police authority to pull unauthorized high-speed electric two-wheelers off public roads.¹²

What Counts as an E-Bike Today

SB 1167 does not rewrite the definition of an electric bicycle. Under California Vehicle Code Section 312.5, an e-bike must have fully operable pedals and an electric motor producing no more than 750 watts, and it falls into one of three classes: Class 1 (pedal-assist to 20 mph), Class 2 (throttle to 20 mph), and Class 3 (pedal-assist to 28 mph, with a speedometer).³ A device that meets this definition is regulated as a bicycle, so the rider needs no license, registration, or insurance.⁴ A device that exceeds any of those limits has always, legally, been something else. SB 1167’s job is to make that “something else” concrete and enforceable.

What SB 1167 Would Actually Change

A Legal Home for E-Motos

The bill rewrites two existing Vehicle Code categories so they clearly capture higher-powered electric two-wheelers. A motor-driven cycle would include a motorcycle propelled by an electric motor of 5 gross brake horsepower (about 3,750 watts) or less, provided the vehicle is designed for highway use, meets federal motor vehicle safety standards, carries a 17-digit VIN, and displays a safety certification label. A moped would be redefined as a two- or three-wheeled device with an electric motor under 4 gross brake horsepower (about 3,000 watts), capable of no more than 30 mph on level ground, and subject to the same federal safety and identification requirements.² Devices in either category are motor vehicles, which means licensing, registration, and insurance.

False Advertising and Required Disclosures

SB 1167 makes it illegal to market or sell a device as an “electric bicycle” if it exceeds the 750-watt motor limit, the 20-mph throttle limit, or the 28-mph pedal-assist limit.¹ Anyone selling a motor-driven cycle, moped, or electric off-road motorcycle would also have to give the buyer a specific written disclosure explaining that the product is a motor vehicle and is subject to licensing, registration, and insurance laws.⁵ Failing to meet the labeling and disclosure requirements counts as a misleading statement under the Business and Professions Code, which exposes a violator to prosecution for unfair competition and false advertising.²

A 20 mph Rule for Unauthorized Devices

The bill prohibits anyone from operating a two- or three-wheeled electric device at speeds over 20 mph on a highway or public right-of-way unless the device meets a recognized vehicle classification. Peace officers would be authorized to remove unauthorized electric devices from public roads if those devices can exceed 20 mph and don’t fit any legal category.² A new Vehicle Code section would also allow citations for reckless behavior on e-bikes themselves.⁶

Labels That Can Be Trusted

The classification label on an e-bike would have to be placed in a visible, skyward position on the frame. The bill prohibits the sale or installation of classification labels except at a physical retail location or bicycle repair shop, and those shops would have to verify that the label matches the bike’s actual class before installing it.² Peace officers writing an incident report for a crash or injury involving an e-bike, moped, or motor-driven cycle would have to record the marking or label information from the vehicle, or note that no label was present.⁷

What This Means for Buyers, Sellers, and Riders

If you own a Class 1, 2, or 3 e-bike that complies with current law, SB 1167 doesn’t change what you can do or where you can ride. The bill is aimed at the segment above that line.

If you’re buying what is advertised as an e-bike, the bill gives you two things to check. The motor rating and top speed listed on the label must stay within the 750-watt and 20/28 mph limits, and the label itself has to come from a physical retail or repair location, not a loose sticker shipped with an online order. If the device exceeds any of those limits, the seller has to tell you in writing that you’re buying a motor vehicle and will need a license, registration, and insurance to ride it on public roads.

If you sell these devices, the compliance burden lands on you. Online listings and in-store marketing can’t use “electric bicycle” for a product that doesn’t meet the statutory limits, and the required purchase disclosures have to accompany any sale of a moped, motor-driven cycle, or electric off-road motorcycle. The enforcement route runs through California’s unfair competition and false advertising laws, not just the Vehicle Code.²

Where the Bill Stands

SB 1167 passed the full Senate by late May 2026 and crossed to the Assembly. After referral to the Assembly Transportation Committee, it received author’s amendments on June 22, was re-referred to committee, and was discussed in a hearing on June 29, 2026. It has not been enacted into law.²⁸

Support has come from CalBike, PeopleForBikes, Streets For All, Streets Are For Everyone, and the California Mountain Biking Coalition, along with a joint vote of support from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments.⁹¹⁰⁷ The lone formal opposition comes from the Motorcycle Industry Council, which argues that “e-bike” is already shorthand across both the motorcycle and bicycle industries for a broad range of products and that restricting the term to one legal definition could add consumer confusion. The MIC also raised a federal preemption concern about the bill’s turn-signal requirements for mopeds. The bill’s author agreed to a set of technical amendments proposed by the MIC covering labeling, font specifications, and battery safety standards.¹¹

What’s Already Happening Without the Bill

Even before SB 1167 becomes law, state and local enforcement is treating many “e-bike” sales and rides as existing crimes. In April 2026, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a joint consumer alert with Bay Area district attorneys warning that misrepresenting a vehicle’s characteristics or selling one without the required DMV occupational licenses is already a crime, and that many devices marketed as e-bikes are not bikes at all under current law.¹²

In Orange County, District Attorney Todd Spitzer launched a prosecution unit called RIDE SAFELY in May 2026, and since January 2026 that office has filed child endangerment charges against three parents who allowed their children to ride illegal e-motorcycles.¹³ In May 2026, Amazon agreed to remove listings from its California platform for e-bikes advertised at speeds above 40 mph.¹⁴ SB 1167 would consolidate the legal footing those actions are already using.

1
California State Senate, District 38. Sen. Blakespear Introduces Legislation to Improve E-Bike Marketplace
2
CalMatters Digital Democracy. SB 1167 Bill Page
3
FindLaw. California Vehicle Code Section 312.5
4
Advocate Magazine. Electric Bicycles: It Has a Motor, But in California It’s Not a Motor Vehicle
5
Streetsblog California. Blakespear’s Efforts to Define E-Bikes and Limit E-Motos Advances
6
CCAG. SB 1167 Fact Sheet
7
MTC. Summary Sheet SB 1167 Blakespear Support
8
Streetsblog California. Legislative Update: The Good E-Bike Legislation Is Moving
9
PeopleForBikes. California SB 1167 E-Bike Public Safety
10
CAMTB. CAMTB Supports SB 1167
11
California Assembly Transportation Committee. SB 1167 Committee Analysis
12
Office of the Attorney General. Attorney General Bonta, California District Attorneys Issue Consumer Alert
13
ABC7. Orange County Cracking Down on Illegal E-Bikes, E-Motorcycles
14
The Guardian. Amazon Stops Sales of High-Speed E-Bikes in California