Are Electric Scooters Legal in Chicago?

Chicago converted its pilot into a standing scooter-sharing license in 2021 and kept the 6,000-device launch cap (with headroom up to 12,500) in Municipal Code §9-103-110, so every operator has to lock vehicles to racks, posts, or corrals and pay the per-device fees set by CDOT. In April 2024 the License and Consumer Protection Committee advanced a new ordinance that extended scooter hours to midnight–5 a.m., required a $250,000 license plus $16-per-device monthly fees, and reaffirmed that scooters are barred from sidewalks, the Lakefront Trail, the 606/Bloomingdale, Navy Pier, the Riverwalk, and the O’Hare area even as they deploy citywide. The mayor’s office confirmed the permanent program will keep 1,000 units apiece for Lime, Spin, and Superpedestrian (with Divvy scooters docked downtown) when the May launch window opens, and operators must continue meeting equity requirements that place at least half their fleets in South and West Side priority zones while using sidewalk-detection tech to shut down illegal riding.