Palm Coast council approves first reading of e-bike ordinance, sets minimum public-use age at 11

Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday, Sept. 16, approved on first reading an ordinance amending Chapter 42 of the city code to add rules for bicycles and electric-powered cycles, set a minimum public-use age of 11 for certain e-bikes and add examples of unsafe operation; the vote was 4-1.

The measure, introduced by City Attorney Marcus Duffy and discussed at length by council members and members of the public, defines “electric off‑road powered cycles” as vehicles not intended for public roadways or sidewalks and therefore prohibited from operating on them. It also removes a specific low speed cap from the ordinance and replaces it with a prohibition on operating an e‑bike “in an unsafe and reckless manner,” and it includes a power limit tied to enforcement: operation of an e‑bike that produces more than 750 watts is prohibited in the city’s public rights of way.

Duffy said he redlined changes after earlier council direction and that the ordinance was intended to align with the state statute’s classifications for e‑bikes while addressing local…