Douglas County on Tuesday clamped down on the use of increasingly popular off-highway vehicles and low-powered scooters on public streets, trails or alleys, citing a rising number of accidents and injuries among riders for passing the new rules.
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“We’re balancing this desire for new technology with safety, and obviously safety comes first,” Douglas County Commissioner Abe Laydon said during a Tuesday afternoon hearing in Castle Rock.
The commissioners voted 2 to 0 to pass the ordinance. Commissioner George Teal was absent.
The new ordinance, which takes effect immediately, bans the use of motorized dirt bikes or electric motorcycles on public thoroughfares. Fines for violating the law will start at $250 and can go as high as $1,000.
Operators of low-powered scooters, which can achieve speeds as high as 50 mph, will need to have a valid driver’s license while riding. Additionally, children under the age of 18 will be required to wear a helmet. The vehicle must also be registered and have valid insurance. Violators will also be assessed a minimum $250 fine.
The measure also punishes parents or legal guardians who “knowingly allow a minor… to operate an off-highway vehicle” on public streets or trails in the county with a minimum $250 fine.
The ordinance focuses on electric motorcycles, dirt bikes or low-powered scooters that can exceed speeds of 20 mph. The new restrictions will not apply to electric bicycles, or e-bikes, or to electric scooters that can’t exceed 20 mph.
Douglas County sheriff’s Cmdr. Alan Stanton said the conservative county strives not to overregulate in general. But in this case, he said, safety is paramount.
“The regulations haven’t kept up with the items on the roadway,” Stanton said Tuesday. “We only want to regulate what’s a problem.”
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Laydon said e-bikes are not the problem. To parents, he said, the county’s message is clear.
“Do not buy the high-powered dirt bikes for your kids,” he said.
Douglas County’s new rules apply to unincorporated parts of the county, including Highlands Ranch. The county follows the lead of Castle Rock and Castle Pines, which each passed similar regulations late last year and in April, respectively.
Last year, Denver established new rules for shared scooters that add parking requirements in some places and require the use of technology to enforce a ban on sidewalk riding.
Off-highway vehicle sales have exploded in recent years and Global Market Insights projects that this will continue. The firm projected last year that the global dirt bike market would grow from $6 billion last year to $10.4 billion in 2034.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons reported in 2025 that a 20-year study of pediatric dirt bike injuries showed a rise on average of 389 injuries annually from 2014 to 2023.
The academy concluded that the persistence in orthopedic injuries “highlights the need for stricter regulations, including a minimum operator age of 16 years, speed restrictions, mandatory safety training, and increased protective equipment use.”
Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly said he’s heard complaints from many residents about young people popping wheelies and blocking traffic while riding dirt bikes and other off-road vehicles on public roads.
“Our residents have had enough,” he said.
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