Montana e-bike and e-trike laws

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

In short

Montana has no special e-trike law. A pedal e-trike with a modest motor legally counts as a 'moped', and you do not need a license, plate or insurance for it. Ride it on roads, in bike lanes and on shoulders. On sidewalks and bike paths you may only pedal, with the motor off. Riders under 18 must wear a helmet.

Does an e-trike count as an e-bike here? No.

For e-trikes: Riders and passengers under 18 on a moped (which is how Montana classifies most e-trikes) must wear a helmet on streets and highways; there is no helmet law for adults or for two-wheel electrically assisted bicycles.
For e-trikes: A moped (such as a pedal e-trike) may be used on a sidewalk only by pedaling, never under motor power; bicycles may use sidewalks unless signs prohibit it, and must yield to pedestrians.
For e-trikes: A moped may not use its motor on a bicycle path; pedaling only. The statute has no matching restriction for two-wheel electrically assisted bicycles, which count as bicycles.
Rules below: Apply to e-bikes as Montana defines them, which leaves trikes out. The rows above say what applies to a trike instead.
License: No driver's license is needed for an electrically assisted bicycle or a moped, because Montana's license law covers 'motor vehicles' and the definition of motor vehicle excludes bicycles, motorized scooters and mopeds.
Registration: No state registration, title or insurance requirement was found for an e-bike or a moped, since both are excluded from 'motor vehicle'.
Helmet: Riders and passengers under 18 on a moped (which is how Montana classifies most e-trikes) must wear a helmet on streets and highways; there is no helmet law for adults or for two-wheel electrically assisted bicycles. (moped)
Minimum age: No state minimum age was found for electrically assisted bicycles or mopeds.
Where you can ride: Bicycle and moped riders have the same rights and duties as other drivers on the road; a moped may run under motor power on highways, in bike lanes and on highway shoulders.
Sidewalks: A moped (such as a pedal e-trike) may be used on a sidewalk only by pedaling, never under motor power; bicycles may use sidewalks unless signs prohibit it, and must yield to pedestrians. (moped)

Three wheels

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

“Electrically assisted bicycle" means a vehicle on which a person may ride that has two tandem wheels and an electric motor”

MCA 61-8-102(7) ↗

How the law sorts e-bikes

Montana has no Class 1/2/3 system. Its only e-bike term, 'electrically assisted bicycle', covers two-wheelers whose motor can reach no more than 20 mph (no wattage cap). A pedal e-trike instead fits the 'moped' definition (two or three wheels, pedals, up to 2 brake horsepower, max 30 mph).

Electrically assisted bicycle

Assist to 20 mphThrottle allowed to 20 mph

MCA 61-8-102(7) ↗

Moped

Up to 1491WAssist to 30 mphThrottle allowed to 30 mph

MCA 61-8-102(14) ↗

Outside the e-bike categories

Treated as a motor-driven cycle / motorcycle.

driver's license (motorcycle endorsement)registrationtitleinsurance

An e-trike with pedals, 2 brake horsepower (about 1,491 W) or less, and a top power-only speed of 30 mph or less is a 'moped', which Montana excludes from 'motor vehicle', so no license, registration or insurance duty was found for it. Above 2 bhp or 30 mph it falls outside the moped definition and is a motorcycle / motor-driven cycle (a motorcycle may have up to three wheels), which is a motor vehicle and needs the usual license, registration and insurance. The license/registration consequences for that category were not separately verified here.

Trikes in our guide

How the trikes we list are treated in Montana

None of the 191 trikes we list is an e-bike under Montana's e-bike law, because it leaves trikes out. The rules above for e-trikes apply to all of them. Not legal advice.

The rules

Every rule, with its source

License: No driver's license is needed for an electrically assisted bicycle or a moped, because Montana's license law covers 'motor vehicles' and the definition of motor vehicle excludes bicycles, motorized scooters and mopeds. MCA 61-1-101(41)(b); 61-5-102(1) ↗
Registration: No state registration, title or insurance requirement was found for an e-bike or a moped, since both are excluded from 'motor vehicle'. MCA 61-1-101(41)(b) ↗
Helmet: moped Riders and passengers under 18 on a moped (which is how Montana classifies most e-trikes) must wear a helmet on streets and highways; there is no helmet law for adults or for two-wheel electrically assisted bicycles. MCA 61-9-417 ↗
Minimum age: No state minimum age was found for electrically assisted bicycles or mopeds. MCA Title 61, ch. 8, part 6 (no age provision) ↗
Where you can ride: Bicycle and moped riders have the same rights and duties as other drivers on the road; a moped may run under motor power on highways, in bike lanes and on highway shoulders. MCA 61-8-602; 61-8-608(3)(c) ↗
Sidewalks: moped A moped (such as a pedal e-trike) may be used on a sidewalk only by pedaling, never under motor power; bicycles may use sidewalks unless signs prohibit it, and must yield to pedestrians. MCA 61-8-608(1)-(3) ↗
Bike paths and trails: moped A moped may not use its motor on a bicycle path; pedaling only. The statute has no matching restriction for two-wheel electrically assisted bicycles, which count as bicycles. MCA 61-8-608(3)(b) ↗
Also good to know: Montana's 'bicycle' definition covers human-powered cycles with any number of wheels and expressly includes an electrically assisted bicycle, but the e-assist version is limited to two tandem wheels. MCA 61-8-102(2) ↗

Changes and local rules

What's new, and what cities add

Ch. 693, Laws of 2025 (bill number not identified) enacted · effective 2025 (exact date not confirmed) Amended the definitions statute (61-1-101), the traffic definitions (61-8-102), the bicycle/moped/motorized-scooter rules (61-8-602, 61-8-608) and the under-18 helmet law (61-9-417). As codified in MCA 2025, the electrically assisted bicycle definition still says 'two tandem wheels' and no class system was added. Source ↗

Statutes and sources

MCA 61-8-102 (traffic definitions) ↗MCA 61-1-101 (motor vehicle definitions) ↗MCA 61-8-608 (sidewalks and bike lanes) ↗MCA 61-8-602 (traffic laws apply) ↗MCA 61-9-417 (headgear) ↗MCA 61-5-102 (driver's license required for motor vehicles) ↗

What we couldn't confirm from official sources (4)

Bill number and full content of Ch. 693, L. 2025 (and Ch. 23, L. 2025), which amended these sections; session-law PDFs could not be retrieved.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks rules on e-bikes in state parks and fishing access sites (thought to allow some e-bikes on trails open to bikes) were not reviewed.
Whether a moped (e-trike) needs any registration or decal under Title 61, chapter 3, was not separately checked beyond the motor-vehicle exclusion.
City rules (e.g., Missoula, Bozeman trail/sidewalk ordinances) 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.