Are Electric Scooters Legal in Memphis?
TNMemphis
Fully Legal
Quick Facts
Max Speed
15 mph
Minimum Age
18 years old to rent, younger riders may use private scooters if allowed by their parents or legal guardians.
Helmets Required?
Encouraged for all users, required for riders under 18 years of age.
Summary
Memphis keeps scooters in the street (no sidewalks or greenways), requires Bird, Lime, Spin and GCOO to honor a geofenced Downtown curfew from 10 p.m.–5 a.m. on weekends, and is already accepting FY2026 shared-mobility permit renewals that emphasize equity deployments.
Detailed Information
The Bikeway & Pedestrian Program’s shared mobility regulations tell riders to stay in bike lanes or travel lanes, yield to pedestrians, and park in the furniture zone; sidewalks and greenways remain off-limits except where signs say otherwise. After MPD and the Downtown Memphis Commission documented late-night crashes, the City enabled a geofenced curfew that shuts scooters off between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. every Friday through Sunday within Downtown/Mud Island boundaries—operators must remove or disable devices that ignore the curfew or face fleet caps. Memphis also opened FY2026 permit applications (due May 12, 2025) that require Bird, Lime, Spin, and other applicants to submit deployment plans for equity neighborhoods, respond to 311 complaints, and share slow-/no-ride geofencing maps with the City before any fleet expansion.
Official References
2025-11-09
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