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Madison council introduces ordinance to regulate sale and storage of lithium-ion batteries
Summary
Council moved Ordinance 5-2025 to create a borough chapter regulating sale and storage of lithium-ion batteries, aimed at limiting non-UL-labeled or reconditioned batteries for mobility devices; Chief Wickman’s safety rationale was summarized by Council President Rachel Ehrlich.
The Borough of Madison introduced an ordinance on March 10 that would establish a new borough code chapter to regulate the sale and storage of lithium-ion batteries.
Ordinance 5-2025, titled “An ordinance of the Borough of Madison establishing chapter 60 of the borough code entitled batteries to regulate the sale and storage of lithium ion batteries,” was moved and seconded for first reading. Council President Rachel Ehrlich summarized the ordinance’s origin and said Fire Chief Wickman told her the measure is intended to prevent the sale of secondhand, reconditioned or non-UL-labeled batteries for mobility devices such as e-bikes and scooters.
Ehrlich said the ordinance as drafted is not expected to impose significant obligations on small local retailers that do not stock replacement batteries, citing Hilltop Bicycles as an example. No public hearing was held at this meeting; the ordinance was introduced for first reading and will be scheduled for a public hearing on the date set by the clerk’s office.
The mayor and council did not record a roll-call vote on the ordinance introduction in the transcript; the move to introduce the ordinance advanced it to the required public-notice and hearing step under local ordinance procedures.
