Douglas County enacted a new ordinance restricting the use of electric dirt bikes and off-road vehicles after an increase in crashes involving mostly teens speeding down trails, sidewalks and streets.
The ordinance takes effect immediately, as commissioners waived the typical 30-day timeline in the interest of public safety.
“Kids are doing wheelies on public roadways blocking traffic. They are putting other people in danger and our residents have had enough,” Sheriff Darren M. Weekly said before the unanimous vote of county commissioners.
Douglas County, which includes Highlands Ranch and Castle Rock, is the latest to target the seemingly sudden crush of electric bikes and off-road vehicles that kids are using to get themselves around town and to make new dirt paths in the county’s open space.
The ordinance requires operators of certain electric bikes and scooters to have driver’s licenses and insurance, and adds fines up to $1,000 for driving on roads and sidewalks. It does not apply to e-bikes that have pedals and don’t go much more than 20 mph, or to basic electric scooters that people could buy at Walmart, authorities said.
It targets electric dirt bikes that hit 50, 60 or even 70 mph, as well as what are called “low-powered” electric scooters that have up to three wheels, no manual clutch and a motor output of up to 4,476 watts.
In one horrific accident, a 59-year-old hopped on a 13-year-old’s electric dirt bike that could go 60 mph and flew off after hitting a ravine in 2024. The man split his head open and died immediately, Commissioner Abe Laydon said.
Laydon said the ordinance is a message to parents: “Don’t buy these high-powered electric dirt bikes.”
Parents, who can face fines under the ordinance if they knowingly allow their children to ride unauthorized bikes, are encouraged to review the details about which bikes and scooters are allowed before making a purchase.
“What we want to avoid are the startling visual images and videos … where you have kids on dirt bikes that are electric going 50, 60, 70 miles an hour on roadways they should be licensed for,” Laydon said. “You see kids getting injured and getting thrown off of them.”
Franktown resident Lynne Bussard, who described herself as a senior citizen and spoke in favor of the ordinance, said a dirt bike operated by a young child zoomed past her as the boy’s mother was “proudly standing by.” In another incident only about a week ago, an off-road, all-terrain vehicle crashed in the middle of the street in her neighborhood, she said.
Instead of using neighborhood streets and sidewalks, dirt bike riders should ride on private property or dirt tracks including Rampart Range Recreation Area and Thunder Valley Park, county officials said.
The new ordinance requires helmets for people under 18. It also makes it unlawful to run away or fail to stop while on an off-road vehicle for a police officer. It also states that reckless driving charges can apply to people using off-road vehicles.
County officials held a news conference about e-bike safety and collected a barrage of public comment online before the final vote Tuesday.