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Mount Clemens introduces ordinance to ban electric skateboards and e-bikes on downtown sidewalks
Summary
The City Commission introduced an amendment to the downtown skateboard ordinance to add electric skateboards, electric bicycles and mopeds to the list of prohibited devices on sidewalks; the amendment was requested by downtown businesses and the DDA and is slated for adoption on Jan. 20, 2026.
The Mount Clemens City Commission introduced an ordinance amendment that would expand the city’s existing downtown sidewalk prohibition to explicitly include electric skateboards, electric bicycles and mopeds.
City staff said the proposed changes respond to concerns raised by downtown businesses and the Downtown Development Authority that electric vehicles operating on sidewalks create hazards for pedestrians. “The proposed amendments would add electric skateboards, electric bicycles, and mopeds to this prohibition,” City Manager Shipman said during the presentation.
The ordinance, prepared by the city attorney, would also rename and clarify definitions in the existing skateboard ordinance and repeal conflicting language. Staff told commissioners that electric personal mobility devices would be an exception to the prohibition.
Commissioners pressed staff for clearer definitions during discussion, asking whether scooters, mopeds and electric skateboards—especially devices with handlebars—would be covered and why fines for violations were raised in the draft. One commissioner said the Downtown Main Street revitalization and a forthcoming bike lane could change how the rule is enforced once physical improvements are complete.
The motion to introduce the ordinance and set Jan. 20, 2026, as the adoption date was made and supported. The ordinance will return for formal adoption at the January 20 meeting, when commissioners will vote on final language, fines and any technical clarifications.
Proposed next steps: city staff and the city attorney will refine device definitions and fines based on commissioner feedback prior to the Jan. 20 adoption vote.
