In a reversal, New Jersey now says Pennsylvania residents should register their e-bikes in New Jersey if visiting
New Jersey has issued about 9,400 e-bike registrations; 182 are for out-of-state residents.
Pennsylvanian e-bikers headed to the Shore, get ready for your appointment with New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle Commission.
In a reversal, the state agency now says out-of-state residents should register their e-bikes in New Jersey in order to legally ride them in New Jersey.
Earlier, MVC spokesperson William Connolly said New Jersey would not be registering out-of-state e-bikes and that visitors should follow the law in their home states.
But now the MVC says that because New Jersey is the only state that requires e-bikes to be registered, out-of-state e-bikers should follow New Jersey’s law.
That means out-of-state riders need to make an appointment at the MVC when they visit, which starts by filling out a registration form.
Connolly says as of July 28, New Jersey had issued 9,410 e-bike registrations; of those, 182 were for out-of-state residents.
“MVC is now offering to register e-bikes for out-of-state residents so that they can lawfully ride their bikes in NJ,” Connolly said in a statement e-mailed to the Inquirer.
”Out-of-state visitors who are sixteen or older can also rent a low-speed e-bike from rental companies operating under a contract with a local government, which is an exception to the registration requirement under the e-bike law.”
Properly registered e-bikes will display a sticker issued by the MVC.
The law has caused confusion among riders, bike-shop owners, and law enforcement since its adoption in January. After a six-month grace period, the state went into enforcement mode July 19.
The law requires all riders to wear helmets, forbids riders under the age of 15, and requires insurance for higher-speed classified electric bikes. The classification for basic e-bikes is for pedal-assisted electric bicycles with a maximum speed of 20 mph.
Out-of-state riders without a driver’s license are not permitted to ride an e-bike in New Jersey, according to the Motor Vehicle Commission, which has been embroiled in a national controversy since it was revealed that thousands of non-U.S. citizens were automatically registered to vote while obtaining driver’s licenses in New Jersey.
For non-New Jersey e-bikers, the process for e-bike registration will be the same as for residents, but out-of-staters can use out-of-state proof of identification and register the e-bike with an out-of-state address.
