The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office is reminding residents to brush up on Florida’s electric bicycle laws as e-bikes surge in popularity across the county.

In a recent social media post, deputies laid out a legal checklist for riders: an e-bike must have working pedals, a motor no larger than 750 watts, and a top speed no greater than 28 miles per hour. The bike also cannot be modified to exceed those limits.

“If your e-bike doesn’t meet all of those requirements, then you don’t have an e-bike — you have a motor vehicle,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote, noting that such vehicles require registration and a licensed driver.

When operated within the law, e-bikes are treated the same as traditional bicycles, meaning riders must follow traffic rules. That includes obeying trail speed limits — capped at 20 mph — and wearing helmets for anyone 16 or younger.

Deputies say they are increasingly seeing parents purchase high-powered electric dirt bikes, mistaking them for legal e-bikes. Popular models such as the Surron, Altis, and Stark Varg lack pedals and can only be ridden legally on private property.

Another growing issue is teenagers modifying otherwise legal e-bikes to override factory speed limiters, effectively turning them into unregistered motor vehicles.

The Sheriff’s Office urged riders and parents to double-check their equipment. “So do you have an e-bike or a motor vehicle? Make sure you know the difference,” the post concluded.

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(Image credit: PCSO on Facebook)

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