Generally speaking, electric bikes are perfectly legal. That’s because People for Bikes, the largest advocacy organization for cyclists in the U.S., wrote a model law and then lobbied heavily for a three class system that states could adopt to give e-bike riders consistency across the 50 states.
That
said, we’re beginning to see news reports of e-bikes being banned or restricted in some communities. The village of Key Biscayne recently outlawed all e-bikes and e-scooters. In some places, only certain types of e-bikes are permitted. If you’re confused by what you’ve seen on TV or read in the news, it’s understandable.