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Muskego committee urges targeted ban on high‑powered e‑motorcycles, refers detailed ordinance drafting to safety committee
Summary
After weeks of resident complaints about high‑speed electric dirt bikes, Muskego’s Committee of the Whole agreed to ask the Public Works & Safety Committee to draft an ordinance adopting relevant state off‑highway motorcycle rules and other local provisions while leaving class 1/2/3 e‑bikes largely untouched.
Muskego — The Committee of the Whole on June 16 heard more than an hour of testimony about electric bicycles, scooters and high‑powered off‑road electric motorcycles and asked staff to send a draft ordinance to the Public Works & Safety Committee for detailed work and public input.
Council members, police and legal staff framed the problem as two separate categories: statutorily defined e‑bikes (pedal‑assisted class 1, 2 and 3 models) and pedal‑less devices sometimes called electric dirt bikes or e‑motos. City staff and the police chief said properly manufactured e‑bikes generally conform to state limits (motors up to 750 W; class 1 and 2 capped near 20 mph, class 3 up to 28 mph with pedal assist) and are not the main enforcement concern. The police chief recommended “let’s start with adopting state statute and then we can focus in this particular area” of off‑highway motorcycles, and several aldermen endorsed that approach as a way to give officers enforceable tools without banning pedal‑assist bikes used by older residents.
Residents at the meeting described two recurring problems: groups of children riding modified, pedal‑less devices that can exceed 40 mph on trails and neighborhood streets, and a perception that courts will dismiss citations unless the city locally adopts the applicable statute. “I've called the police department one week… I called seven times. They can't send people out,” said one resident, urging enforcement and education. Multiple speakers recommended a mix of education (school or trail‑pass programs), selective age limits, and parental‑liability provisions used in nearby municipalities.
Legal staff outlined options for the council: (1) adopt Wis. Stat. ch. 23.335 (off‑highway motorcycles) or selected portions of it so those pedal‑less devices are explicitly prohibited on public streets and trails; (2) add local ordinance definitions that cover modified devices that lack pedals; (3) include parental liability as West Bend has done; or (4) pursue an education and communications campaign instead of or alongside enforcement. Council members repeatedly cautioned against a blanket ban that would restrict pedal‑assist e‑bikes used by older residents for mobility.
Action: Council instructed staff to send the topic to the Public Works & Safety Committee to draft specific ordinance language and to solicit further public comment. No ordinance was introduced or voted on at the June 16 meeting; staff and the chief were asked to return with enforcement data in about six months if the committee recommends it.
The committee’s referral preserves several policy paths: adopting state off‑highway motorcycle provisions locally for enforceability, crafting local age limits or carve‑outs, or building an education/trail‑pass program. The city will post future committee meeting dates and any draft ordinances on the city website and social media for public review.
