Transportation and Vehicle Safety: Mopeds, san juaquin county, san joaquin county

Question
Terry,

 I know that in California mopeds are generally legal if they met certain qualifications like having working headlights, blinkers etc... What are all of these requirements? And are they legal in all counties in California? If not, are they legal in the San Juaquin county?

Answer
Hi Stephanie and welcome to AllExperts!

Firstly, around 1981 California had written an Assembly Bill that allowed Moped style scooters to be legally operated within the State of California.

The rules governing their use was as follows:

1) Must be 16 years of age or older

2) Must wear a helmet

3) Must not carry passengers

4) Must only operate on roadways that are posted 25-mph or less, or in a class-2 bicycle lane

5) Must not exceed 15-mph at any time.

6) Horsepower cannot exceed 5-HP

7) Must obey all laws and use hand signals similar to bicycle operation.

8) If operation is at night, must have approved lighting (headlight, tail light, turn signals)

407.5 (a) of the Vehicle Code handles these types of vehicles.

These are basic requirements, and they allow cities and counties to enact ordinances that can either modify or completely restrict Moped use.

Many cities ad counties have completely banned their use on public roadways, which only leaves private property as a place for them to be used.

San Joaquin County has no restrictions, however, the city in which you desire to operate the vehicle may. It is best to contact your local Police Department or Sheriff's office to find out.

I hope this has helped. Please write back should you have others questions!

Have a great day.

Terry