Hints on Using On-Line State Bicycle Laws

Alabama

  • Article 12 Bicycles and Play Vehicles
  • Article 13 Bicycle Safety

    • Colorado

    Colorado law is now best accessed through a list of statutes, with a long list of statutes returned from the word "bicycle". Most specific bike law is in Title 42, sections 1-4 of which house the state Traffic Code. Searches are not saved, so links to bicycle searches or even specific sections of the law cannot be saved. There used to be a very nice index at the Pikes Peak Library District, with many links from the word bicycles including links to sections on vehicles and traffic, bicycle equipment, and bicycle operation. However, there are many other laws that apply to bicycles, and others that don't--for example, the headphone law. The relevant laws should be easy to find through the topics index. What a nicely-organized web site!

    Louisiana

    There is no table of contents on the web site, so here is one for those laws specifically pertaining to bicycles in Section 32 of the Revised Statutes:
  • 1. Definitions
  • 193. Operation of bicycles; general provision
  • 194. Traffic laws apply to persons riding bicycles
  • 195. Riding on bicycles
  • 196. Clinging to vehicles
  • 197. Riding on roadways and bicycle paths
  • 329. Bicycles; front lamps; side and rear reflectors
  • 346. Brakes on bicycles
  • Section 33:4790. Bicycle regulation in municipalities of over 400,000
  • 41B. Power of local municipal authorities to register bicycles

    New Hampshire

    The New Hampshire state laws are now all online:

    New Jersey

    There is a query to search the New Jersey statutes: as with other states, other statutes besides those with the word "bicycle" in them relate to bicycling.

    By clicking on the plus and minus signs at the left of the headings in the table of contents for the NJ statutes, you can expand and contract the outline.

    Title 39 contains New Jersy motor vehicle and traffic regulations.

    New York

    Start from the list of chapters and work down, as the page of bicycle laws doesn't have any links to climb back out and see other chapters of NY laws on other pages.

    It is helpful to point out that the first item in the list for each chapter (for example CHAPTER 71, for vehicle and traffic law) is the table of contents for the chapter, and then you can find the part you want down the list according to the title and section umbers. You will have to translate Roman numerals! Since there is no way to climb out of a page to the next higher level, save bookmarks for the laws you want to refer to later. There are references to bicycles in other titles of chapter 71 besides the one on bicycles (see for example the end of title 25, which permits bicycles to travel on shoulders), and general traffic rules also apply to bicycles.

    Oregon

    This page provides the links for the vehicle code in chapters (Chapters 801-826) but does not name their contents. Relavent sections include Penalties are listed in a different part, chapter 153. They are rather stiff!

    Pennsylvania

    The main page for the Pennsylvania vehicle code (unofficial site, incomplete, but includes the parts of importance ot bicyclists) was put online by the Pennsylvania District Court 15-4-04.

    The rules of the road are in two parts: General Provisions and Rules of the Road in General.

    Texas

    The Transportation part of the Texas Statutes is reachable from this table of contents, which is hard to find on the state web site. It is also available as zipped text files. The operation of bicycles is regulated by Chapter 551. Operation of Bicycles, Mopeds, and Play Vehicles. A search from the Texas Statutes home page on the word "bicycle" will turn up other references in the law, such as allowing the use of right-hand turn signals by bicyclists.

    Wisconsin

    The complete Wisconsin statutes are available in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format. Vehicle regulations are section 346. There are also important bicycle-related laws in other sections, particularly section 802. The statutes in this site appear to be be complete, while those under the Madison bicycle page are not (and some bicycle-related provisions are missing due to the use of an automated rather than human-judgment-controlled search -- this fails, for example, to find traffic laws which apply to all vehicles without specifically mentioning bicycle!). Neither of the above sources is up to date with this year's legislation, however.

    1996's new Wisconsin bicycle bill, now law, added some important and sensible changes such as exceptions to as far right as practicable law. There are links from this to discussions of the bill and discussions of other Wisconsin bicycle issues.

    Washington

    Start with Larry Leveen's Questions and Answers About Washington's Bicycle Traffic Laws. The entire Rules of the Road are also accessible. Sections 46.61.750 and later pertain to bikes.

    There is also a list of state government URLs and another web page of links to state laws.

    Last updated January 8, 2002 by Doug Mink dmink@massbike.org with help from John Allen jsallen@bikexprt.com

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