E-bikes on Virginia Beach’s boardwalk have become a subject of concern for city leaders as they attempt to regulate the method of transportation, which has grown in popularity in recent years.
Last summer, Mayor Bobby Dyer established a task force to develop measures to improve safety and infrastructure for the bikes around the city.
Aside from recommending more safety infrastructure, the task force suggested expanding e-bike access to the Oceanfront bike path. Currently, e-bikes are not allowed on the boardwalk or bike path, but these restrictions have not stopped the presence of e-bikes on either Oceanfront path.
Discussions among city leaders following the recommendation has led to questions about state involvement, safety and enforcement for the bikes.
Some council members, like Vice Mayor Rosemary Wilson, have remained strongly against e-bikes on the bike path.
“The people that live down there are terrified,” Wilson said at a June city council meeting. “They truly are terrified, and especially older people.”
According to city officials, from the summer of 2024 to Dec. 2025, 14% of those treated for injuries related to bikes across the city involved e-bikes. In the resort area, 7 out of 13 bike accidents in 2025 were from e-bikes.
Council member David Hutcheson, a liaison to the city’s task force, acknowledged the difficulties in enforcing current restrictions at the Oceanfront and suggested strengthening enforcement as a first step to increasing safety.
“You want a middle ground? Start with the boardwalk with enforcement,” he said.
The task force’s recommendations for city council consideration included:
- Sending a representative to a new state work group on the topic
- Add signage and infrastructure related to e-bike use
- Communication and education for residents and visitors
- Restrict e-bikes in certain parts of the city
- Create speed limits for e-bikes, if empowered
- Require state e-bike registration, which would involve state agencies
According to state law, e-bikes are subject to the same rules of the road as regular bikes, and riders do not need a registration or driver’s license to operate them.
Currently, any restrictions on e-bikes depend on their classification.
Classes one and two e-bikes are designed to stay under a maximum speed of 20 mph. Riders of Class three e-bikes, which can reach close to 30 mph, must wear a helmet and be at least 14 years old.
Several of the recommendations in Virginia Beach would require changes in state law. Local governments aren’t able to create speed limits without authorization from the state.
Adding additional age limits or requiring registration or licenses for e-bikes would have to come from state agencies, like the Department of Motor Vehicles.
In January, Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed legislation to create the Virginia DMV Work Group, which is directed to study e-bike regulations in the commonwealth.
Brent McKenzie, Virginia Beach’s legislative affairs director, is serving as the city’s representative in that group.
