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Missouri e-bike and e-trike laws

✓ Last verifiedVerified Sep 2026Every rule links to the statute or state agency page
In short

Yes: Missouri counts a pedal e-trike with a motor under 750 watts as an electric bicycle, so you need no license, plate or insurance. Ride on roads and on bike and multi-use paths unless the path owner bans it, including the Katy Trail if your trike tops out at 20 mph. No helmet is required, and you must be 16 or older only for a 28-mph Class 3.

Does an e-trike count as an e-bike here? Yes.
License
No driver's license, registration, title or insurance is needed for an e-bike in any class.
Registration
E-bikes are excluded from the definition of motor vehicle, so no registration or plate is required.
Helmet
Missouri has no statewide helmet law for e-bike riders of any age or class (none in 307.194 or 307.180-307.193).
Minimum age
You must be 16 or older to operate a Class 3 e-bike; younger people may ride as a passenger on one built for passengers. There is no state minimum age for Class 1 or 2. (Class 3)
Where you can ride
You may ride an e-bike wherever bicycles may travel, and you have the same rights and duties as a bicyclist.
Sidewalks
Missouri has no statewide rule on riding bicycles or e-bikes on sidewalks; cities set their own rules, so check locally.
Three wheels

Does an e-trike count as an e-bike?

Yes
“Bicycle", every vehicle propelled solely by human power upon which any person may ride, having two tandem wheels, or two parallel wheels and one or two forward or rear wheels, all of which are more than fourteen inches in diameter”
RSMo 307.180(1); RSMo 301.010(15) ↗
Classes

The e-bike classes

Class 1
Under 750WAssist to 20 mphNo throttle
RSMo 301.010(15)(a) ↗
Class 2
Under 750WAssist to 20 mphThrottle allowed to 20 mph
RSMo 301.010(15)(b) ↗
Class 3
Under 750WAssist to 28 mphNo throttle
RSMo 301.010(15)(c) ↗
Outside the classes
Treated as a motorized bicycle (up to 30 mph) or motor vehicle/motortricycle.
driver's license (motorized bicycle)no interstate highways (motorized bicycle)
The statute says 'less than 750 watts' (max_w recorded as 749). A bike outside the classes loses the e-bike exemption. A 'motorized bicycle' is a 2- or 3-wheel device with an automatic transmission, under 3 gross brake horsepower and no faster than 30 mph; the definition is written in gas-engine terms (50 cc), so how it applies to a strong electric motor is not spelled out. Riding one needs a valid driver's license, and it may not be ridden on interstates. Anything faster is a motor vehicle (e.g., a motortricycle) with full license, registration and insurance duties.
E-trikes in our guide

How the trikes we list are treated in Missouri

78 of the 191 trikes we list fit Missouri's e-bike rules on their published figures. 79 need checking before you buy, and 34 don't publish enough to tell. We check motor power, top speed, wheel size and the stated class. Not legal advice.

Show the 78 that fit the rules
E-bikes in our guide

How the e-bikes we list are treated in Missouri

119 of the 268 two-wheel e-bikes we list fit Missouri's e-bike rules on their published figures. 122 need checking before you buy, and 27 don't publish enough to tell. Not legal advice.

Show the 119 that fit the rules
The rules

Every rule, with its source

License
  • No driver's license, registration, title or insurance is needed for an e-bike in any class. RSMo 307.194.2 ↗
Registration
  • E-bikes are excluded from the definition of motor vehicle, so no registration or plate is required. RSMo 301.010(36) ↗
Helmet
Minimum age
  • Class 3 You must be 16 or older to operate a Class 3 e-bike; younger people may ride as a passenger on one built for passengers. There is no state minimum age for Class 1 or 2. RSMo 307.194.8(1) ↗
Where you can ride
Sidewalks
Bike paths and trails
  • Class 1 Class 1 and 2 e-bikes may use bike and multi-use paths where bicycles are allowed; the path owner can ban them only after notice and a public hearing, for safety or legal reasons. RSMo 307.194.7(1)-(2) ↗
  • Class 3 A city, local authority or state agency may ban Class 3 e-bikes from paths it controls, with no hearing required. RSMo 307.194.7(3) ↗
  • On nonmotorized natural-surface (dirt) trails, the default path access does not apply and the managing agency may regulate e-bikes. RSMo 307.194.7(4) ↗
State parks
Passengers
  • Class 3 Riders under 16 may be passengers on a Class 3 e-bike designed to carry passengers. RSMo 307.194.8(1) ↗
Labels
  • Manufacturers must label each e-bike with its class, top assisted speed and motor wattage; if you change its speed you must replace the label. RSMo 307.194.3-.4 ↗
Also good to know
  • E-bikes must meet federal bicycle safety standards (16 CFR 1512), and the motor must stop when the rider stops pedaling or brakes. RSMo 307.194.5-.6 ↗
  • Class 3 Class 3 e-bikes must have a speedometer showing miles per hour. RSMo 307.194.8(2) ↗
Changes and local rules

What's new, and what cities add

Statutes and sources
RSMo 301.010 (definitions incl. electric bicycle, motorized bicycle) ↗RSMo 307.194 (electric bicycles) ↗RSMo 307.180 (bicycle definitions) ↗RSMo 307.188 (rights and duties) ↗RSMo 307.195 (motorized bicycle license) ↗Missouri State Parks: Katy Trail general information ↗
What we couldn't confirm from official sources (3)
  • Whether an over-750 W electric bike counts as a 'motorized bicycle' (whose definition is written for 50 cc gas engines) and whether motorized bicycles must be registered or insured was not confirmed from statute or DOR.
  • No 2025 or 2026 Missouri e-bike bill was found in the Missouri House bill lists for those sessions; the Senate lists could not be loaded, so a pending Senate bill cannot be ruled out.
  • Missouri State Parks e-bike rules beyond the Katy Trail (10 CSR 90) were not reviewed.

This page explains the law in plain language. It is not legal advice. Cities, counties and park agencies can add their own rules; check posted signs and confirm with your state before you ride.

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