The Electric Bicycle
Wis. Stat. 340.01 — pedals, 750 watts or less, and three classes
In Wisconsin, an electric bicycle is a bicycle with fully operative pedals and an electric motor of 750 watts or less, in one of three classes.
- Class 1: the motor assists only while the rider pedals, and stops assisting at 20 miles per hour.
- Class 2: the motor may power the bicycle by itself, and gives no assistance at 20 miles per hour.
- Class 3: the motor assists only while the rider pedals, and stops assisting at 28 miles per hour.
The label. A manufacturer or distributor permanently fixes a label to the electric bicycle showing its class number, the speed at which the motor stops assisting, and the motor's wattage. Anyone who modifies it so as to change its class fixes a revised label.
The motor stops for the brakes. The motor stops providing assistance when the brakes are applied, or when the rider stops pedaling, and no one may operate a class 3 electric bicycle without a speedometer that reads in miles per hour.
Lights and brakes. In darkness, an electric bicycle carries the same white front lamp and red rear reflector or lamp as a bicycle, and it has a brake in good working condition.
| The assumption | What the law actually does |
|---|---|
| The assumptionAny bicycle with a motor is an electric bicycle | What the law actually doesFully operative pedals, a motor of 750 watts or less, and one of the three classes |
| The assumptionA class 3 needs nothing a class 1 does not | What the law actually doesIt needs a speedometer that reads in miles per hour |
Where electric bicycles may ride, local trail rules and mopeds are not all on this page. What a particular situation carries is a question for a licensed Wisconsin attorney.
Sources for this section (2)
- Wis. Stat. 340.01 — Words and phrases defined
- Wis. Stat. 347.489 — Lamps and other equipment on bicycles and other vehicles and devices
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Wisconsin attorney.