"The good thing about this ordinance is its black and white. You either get off your bike or you don't." That was Mayor Newell Americh in July, as Contra Costa News reported, on the night the Town Council voted 5-0 to make anyone on an e-bike, e-motorcycle or motorized scooter dismount inside every Town park.
The rule took effect August 6, so it has now covered more than three months of school drop-offs and weekend soccer. The interesting part is how it got there. Danville's own parks commission recommended something more complicated. The Council traded that for a test a parent, a coach or an officer can apply from across a lawn without a radar gun. On September 30, Sacramento signed a law that leaves the town's numbers in place.
The version that almost passed
The paper trail starts with the June 16, 2026 staff report for Ordinance No. 2026-02. The Parks, Recreation and Arts Commission took up e-bikes in parks at three separate meetings in 2025. It considered everything from banning riding in some or all parks to speed limits to a ban on "unsafe" riding. Commissioners agreed throughout that any rule should be "easily understood, objective and easily enforceable." They ended with two recommendations:
- Keep e-bikes and motorized scooters on paved trails only, because of damage to ballfields and landscaped areas.
- Set a 15 mph speed limit in parks and on trails, matching the limit already in place on the Iron Horse Trail.
The first recommendation was about turf. The second was about speed. Neither one asked riders to get off. The staff report said the Council could still change the draft before the July 7 meeting. Its options included prohibiting riding in parks outright, "having the effect of requiring the bike to be walked."
The Council took that option. According to Patch, the ordinance was revised after residents urged rules stricter than the ones staff and the commission had recommended. Under the version that passed, riders can still bring e-bikes and motorized scooters into a park, but they cannot ride them anywhere inside park boundaries.
A paved-trails rule makes an officer judge where the pavement ends. A speed limit makes someone estimate speed. A dismount rule needs neither, and Councilmember Renee Morgan made that point at the meeting, as Contra Costa News reported. "We have a clear direction of what the kids can and cannot do," she said, adding that clear guidelines make it possible to tell a rider "you are doing something against the law." The mayor said the same about device types. "It's not about what kind of bike it is, if it is electric anything, you cant ride it in the park."
One town, four sets of rules
The dismount rule is the simplest piece, but it applies only to Town parks. The Town's Not My Kid page says riding elsewhere in Danville "continues to be governed by applicable state and local laws." A student riding to school or to practice can pass through several sets of rules in one trip.
| Where you are | What the rule says | Who set it |
|---|---|---|
| Inside any Town park | E-bikes and motorized scooters must be walked, not ridden | Town of Danville, effective Aug. 6, 2026 |
| Town-owned trails outside parks | 15 mph limit for all bicycles, e-bikes and scooters | Town of Danville, same ordinance |
| Iron Horse Regional Trail | E-bikes allowed; Patch reports Class 1 and 2 are allowed, while Class 3 and motorized scooters are barred from most multi-use trails in Danville | East Bay Regional Park District and local rules |
| Sidewalks in business districts | E-bikes and motorized scooters prohibited | Town of Danville, 2024 |
The 15 mph figure is the one number that shows up everywhere. The commission picked it because it matched the existing Iron Horse limit, and the draft applied it to all bicycles, not only e-bikes, so it would line up with the park district's ordinance. A rider leaving the regional trail for a Town-owned path faces the same speed limit on both. The park district's own biking guidance asks riders to keep to a safe or posted speed and yield to pedestrians and equestrians.
The park rule closes the last gap in an effort that has run for about two years. In 2024, Danville banned e-bikes and motorized scooters on sidewalks in business districts and in park playground areas. In 2025, the Council sent the question to both the parks commission and the Bicycle Advisory Commission. After a May 12 study session, it told staff to handle parks and sidewalks in separate ordinances, with the sidewalk ordinance to come "at a later date."
September 30: the state sets its own numbers
On September 30, the Governor signed AB 2346 by Assemblymember Lori Wilson. It was filed with the Secretary of State the same day as Chapter 842. Several of its provisions sit right on top of the decisions Danville made this summer.
- Trail speed limits. Local authorities may set a limit of 15 or 20 mph on bicycle paths and multiuse trails by ordinance, or 10 mph "in limited areas with high pedestrian volumes or sight distance challenges." They must post signs within 400 feet of each end of the zone.
- Existing limits stay. "Any speed limit on a bicycle path or multiuse trail established prior to January 1, 2027, shall remain in effect."
- Sidewalks. The bill adds a prima facie speed limit of 10 mph on sidewalks. A conviction under that section adds no point to a driver's record.
The second bullet is the one that touches Danville directly. The town adopted its 15 mph trail limit in July 2026, months before the January 1, 2027 cutoff, so the new law keeps it in place. The limit is also one of the numbers the state now names for multiuse trails. Danville's commission chose 15 mph to match the Iron Horse Trail. The state landed on the same figure as one of its standard options.
The sidewalk limit bears on the ordinance Danville has said is still coming. The Town already prohibits e-bikes on business-district sidewalks. A statewide 10 mph sidewalk limit is a new baseline, and any local sidewalk rule will sit alongside it.
What the seller now has to put in writing
AB 2346 also reaches the store where the bike is bought. It requires manufacturers to put a permanent label on every e-bike showing its class, top assisted speed and motor wattage. Sellers must also give buyers a written disclosure that covers:
- the e-bike's classification and maximum speed
- continuous and peak wattage
- any age restrictions and the helmet requirements
- a written description of California's e-bike laws
- the web address for the California Highway Patrol's e-bike safety and training program
- a recommendation that riders under 16 not go faster than 15 mph
The law also requires a statement in capital letters warning that tampering with an e-bike to raise its speed capability is against California law. It says a modified bike may then need an M1 or M2 license endorsement, DMV registration and insurance. A seller who breaks the disclosure rules faces fines starting at up to $500 for a first conviction, rising to up to $1,000 for repeat violations.
Under-16 riders come up again here. The state's recommended speed for them is 15 mph, the same figure as Danville's trail limit. The Town's Not My Kid page points out that e-bikes can reach 28 mph, which is the top speed for a Class 3 bike. Patch notes that Class 3 riders must be at least 16 and wear a helmet.
The equipment rules come later. Starting January 1, 2029, every Class 2 e-bike made, sold or offered for sale must have a speedometer. Every e-bike must have a white front lamp visible from 300 feet and a red rear lamp visible from 500 feet.
The signs at the park gate
Danville's rollout leaned on outreach before enforcement. Signs were installed at Town park entrances, and the Town shared the rules with residents, local schools and the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. Contra Costa News reported the mayor saying outreach would continue and that "parents are the targets." That fits the campaign's name. The Not My Kid page has the Town's Walk Your Ride flyer, a laws page, an FAQ and links to training. It also offers video tips, a route-mapping tool and a quiz for choosing an e-bike.
The rules apply at Oak Hill Park, one of Danville's six community parks, and at every other Town park. On the regional trail, Danville Police joined a multi-agency e-bike enforcement day in August. The California Highway Patrol, the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office, East Bay Regional Park District Police, and police from Walnut Creek, San Ramon and Dublin also took part, Patch reported. A second day was scheduled for September 17.
The Council's July choice comes down to this. A rider entering a Town park doesn't have to know the bike's class, check a speedometer or work out where the pavement ends. The sign at the gate gives the rule, and the rule is to walk.
This post is general information about local and state rules, not legal advice. For questions about your own family's riding or a specific citation, confirm the details with the Town of Danville or a qualified professional.
Part of knowing Danville block by block is knowing which rules apply on the way to school, the park and the Iron Horse Trail. If you're getting ready for a move and want that kind of street-level detail about the routes your household will use every day, the team at AJ Cohen is glad to go through it with you. Let's Connect.
