Indiana

Last updated August 18, 2026

Indiana adopted the three-class framework on July 1, 2019 under Indiana HB 1236 and kept the rulebook one of the lightest in the Midwest. A compliant e-bike, with fully operable pedals and a motor of not more than 750 watts, is not a motor vehicle in Indiana: no license, no registration, no insurance, and no title for Class 1, Class 2, or Class 3. Class 1 gives pedal assist up to 20 mph and Class 2 adds a throttle up to 20 mph, both legal for all ages, while Class 3 gives pedal assist only up to 28 mph with no throttle; Indiana skipped the model law's speedometer requirement.

No one under 15 may operate a Class 3, though they may ride as passengers on one designed to carry them, and every Class 3 operator or passenger under 18 wears a CPSC- or ASTM-rated helmet; Class 1 and Class 2 carry no statewide age or helmet rule, though Carmel requires one under 16 on city paths. All three classes ride roads and bike lanes wherever bicycles ride. Class 1 and Class 2 use any path open to bicycles, while Class 3 is barred unless the path runs within or adjacent to a highway or the local authority permits it; sidewalks have no statewide rule, so cities decide, and Carmel caps e-bikes at 15 mph on its greenways. Indiana DNR runs a tidy ladder: all three classes on park roads, Class 1 and Class 2 on hard-surface trails, and Class 1 only on natural-surface trails open to bikes. Anything over 750 watts or past class speeds means Indiana motor driven cycle rules: BMV registration, a license or endorsement, a 35 mph cap, and no sidewalks or interstates. Our Indiana bicycle and e-bike insurance page pairs these rules with the state's best rides, riding season, and events. The full breakdown is below.