Assembly BillIntroducedVehicle
AB 1942: Electric bicycles: registration and special license plates.
What AB 1942 does, verified June 8, 2026
This bill would require the registration of class 2 and class 3 electric bicycles with the department of motor vehicles and the display of a special license plate. Electric bicycles would be subject to the same registration and licensing requirements as motor vehicles. The bill would also establish a new fund, the electric bicycle registration fund, to administer these provisions and require the department to adopt regulations to implement the requirements. Failure to comply would result in fines. The bill would also appropriate an unspecified sum of money to administer these provisions.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: In committee: Held under submission. (2026-05-14)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions8 total · showing 5
| May. 14, 2026 | In committee: Held under submission. |
| May. 14, 2026 | Joint Rule 62(a), file notice suspended. (Page 5030.) |
| May. 13, 2026 | In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. |
| Apr. 21, 2026 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (April 20). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Apr. 21, 2026 | Coauthors revised. |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, February 13, 2026 · 926 words
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 1942
| Introduced by Assembly Member Bauer-Kahan |
February 13, 2026 |
An act to add Article 8.2 (commencing with Section 5040) to Chapter 1 of Division 3 of the Vehicle Code, relating to electric bicycles, and making an appropriation therefor.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1942, as introduced, Bauer-Kahan. Electric bicycles: registration and special license plates.
Existing law prohibits a person from driving, moving, or leaving standing upon a highway, or in an offstreet public parking facility, any motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, pole or pipe dolly, or logging dolly, unless it is registered and the appropriate fees have been paid, except as specified. Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles, upon registering a vehicle, to issue to the owner license plates that identify the vehicles for which they are issued for the period of their validity, as specified. Existing law also requires a motorized bicycle to display a special license plate issued by the department.
Existing law authorizes a city or county to adopt a bicycle licensing ordinance or resolution, authorizes the licensing agency, by ordinance or resolution, to adopt rules and regulations for the collection of license fees, as specified, and sets the fee for each new bicycle license and registration certificate at a sum of no more than $4 per year.
Existing law defines an electric bicycle as a bicycle equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts, and classifies electric bicycles into 3 classes with different restrictions.
This bill would require class 2 electric bicycles and class 3 electric bicycles to be registered with the department and to display a special license plate issued by the department. The bill would require the department to adopt regulations to implement these requirements, and would make a person operating a class 2 or class 3 electric bicycle in violation of these requirements guilty of an infraction punishable by specified fines. By creating a new crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The bill would create the Electric Bicycle Registration Fund in the State Treasury, require all moneys received by the department pursuant to these provisions to be deposited in the fund, and require all moneys in the fund to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the department for the administration of these provisions. The bill would also appropriate an unspecified sum of moneys from the General Fund to the Electric Bicycle Registration Fund as a loan for purposes of administering these provisions, as specified.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Article 8.2 (commencing with Section 5040) is added to Chapter 1 of Division 3 of the Vehicle Code, to read:Article 8.2. Electric Bicycles
5040.
(a) A class 2 electric bicycle and a class 3 electric bicycle shall be registered with the department and shall display a special license plate issued by the department.(b) The special license plate shall be affixed to the rear of the electric bicycle and shall be clearly visible and legible at all times.
5040.5.
The department shall adopt regulations to implement this article, including, but not limited to, regulations on all of the following:(a) Application and issuance of registration and special license plates.
(b) Plate size, placement, and visibility requirements.
(c) Registration fees in an amount not to exceed the reasonable regulatory cost of issuing or renewing the registration.
(d) Proof of ownership requirements, including the provision of a serial number for the registered electric bicycle.
5040.7.
A person operating a class 2 or class 3 electric bicycle in violation of this article is guilty of an infraction punishable by a fine not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100) for the first offense, two hundred dollars ($200) for a second offense, and two hundred fifty dollars ($250) for each subsequent offense.5040.9.
(a) The Electric Bicycle Registration Fund is hereby created in the State Treasury. All moneys received by the department pursuant to this article shall be deposited in the fund. Except as provided in subdivision (b), all moneys in the fund shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the department for the administration of this article.(b) (1) The sum of ____ dollars (S____) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the Electric Bicycle Registration Fund as a loan that shall be available for encumbrance and expenditure until ____ for purposes of administering this article.
(2) The loan amount shall be repaid by the department to the General Fund together with interest in the amount that those moneys would have earned in the Pooled Money Investment Account.
(3) Moneys received by the department pursuant to this article shall be used to repay the loan until the loan is fully repaid.
SEC. 2.
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.Text of AB 1942 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions