Are e-scooters legal in Tasmania?
Yes. Since December 2021, e-scooters that meet Tasmania's personal mobility device limits are legal on footpaths, shared paths and low-speed roads. You need to be 16, wear a helmet, and keep to the speed caps.
- Footpaths
- Yes. Keep left and give way to pedestrians 1
- Which roads
- Only roads signed 50 km/h or less, with no dividing line or median, and not a multi-lane one-way road 1
- Your top speed
- 15 km/h on footpaths, 25 km/h on paths and roads 1
- Minimum age
- 16 1
- Helmet
- Required (approved bicycle helmet) 1
- Licence & rego
- Not required for a compliant device 2
- Passengers
- Not allowed 1
- Your device
- It has to be 25 km/h or less on motor power, under 45 kg, and within the size caps 1
E-scooters have been legal in Tasmania since 1 December 2021, when the Road Rules were amended to create a “personal mobility device” category. 1 The rules go by what the device is, not by who owns it, so a scooter you bought yourself is covered the same way as one you hire.
What counts as a legal e-scooter in Tasmania?
The law doesn’t regulate “e-scooters” by name. It regulates personal mobility devices. To qualify, a device has to be electric and built for one person, with effective brakes. It can’t do more than 25 km/h on motor power alone on level ground. And it has to fit the size and weight caps: 1,250 mm long, 700 mm wide, 1,350 mm high, and under 45 kg empty. 1
Sch 5 Dictionary What counts as a personal mobility device Road Rules 2019 (Tas) 1
personal mobility device means a device that – (a) has at least one wheel; and (b) is designed to be used by one person; and (c) is propelled by an electric motor or motors; and (d) when propelled only by the motor or motors, is not capable of travelling over 25 kilometres per hour on level ground; and (e) is fitted with an effective stopping system controlled by using brakes, gears or motor control; and (f) is not more than 1 250 millimetres in length by 700 millimetres in width by 1 350 millimetres in height and, when the device is not carrying a person or other load, 45 kilograms in weight – but does not include a bicycle, motorised scooter, motorised wheelchair or wheeled recreational device;
A device that goes past those limits isn’t a personal mobility device. It’s a motor vehicle, which can’t be used on a public street unless it’s registered and the rider is licensed. 3 You can’t realistically register one, which is why a lot of higher-powered e-scooter models can’t legally be ridden on public roads or paths at all. 5
Where can you ride an e-scooter in Tasmania?
Riders count as pedestrians under the Road Rules, so you can use footpaths, shared paths and bicycle paths, giving way to people on foot. On a separated footpath, stay off the pedestrian side except to cross. 1
Roads are more restricted. You can only ride on a road if its speed limit is 50 km/h or less, it has no dividing line or median strip, and it isn’t a multi-lane one-way road. The one exception is a road the road authority has declared for these devices in the Gazette. 1
What are the speed limits for e-scooters in Tasmania?
15 km/h on footpaths, 25 km/h everywhere else you’re allowed to ride, which means shared paths, separated footpaths, bicycle paths and roads. Speeding on one of these carries the largest fine in the rules, at up to 20 penalty units. 1
r 244O Speed limits Road Rules 2019 (Tas) 1
A PMD user must not travel in or on a personal mobility device – (a) on a footpath at a speed exceeding 15 kilometres per hour; or (b) on a shared path, separated footpath, bicycle path or road at a speed exceeding 25 kilometres per hour. Penalty: Fine not exceeding 20 penalty units.
How old do you have to be, and do you need a helmet, in Tasmania?
You have to be at least 16 to ride. An approved bicycle helmet, securely fitted and fastened, is compulsory. The only exemption was added in December 2025, for religious headdress that makes wearing a helmet impractical. 1
r 244N Minimum age Road Rules 2019 (Tas) 1
A PMD user must be 16 years old or older. Penalty: Fine not exceeding 5 penalty units.
The other conduct rules are what you’d expect. No passengers or animals on the device. No hand-held phone use. No holding onto moving vehicles, and no travelling close behind them. At night or in poor weather you need a white front light and a red rear light visible from 200 metres, plus a red rear reflector. 1
Do you need a licence or registration for an e-scooter in Tasmania?
No, and the full chain is worth setting out. Tasmania’s licence and registration rules only apply to a “motor vehicle”, and that definition lets the regulations exclude whole classes of vehicle. 3
ss 3(1), 8(1), 27(1) The licence and rego rules only bite "motor vehicles" Vehicle and Traffic Act 1999 (Tas) 3
3(1) motor vehicle means a vehicle that is built to be propelled by a motor that forms part of the vehicle but does not include— […] (g) a vehicle of a class excluded by regulation from the ambit of this definition; […] 8(1) A person must not drive a motor vehicle on a public street unless the person— (a) holds a driver licence under this Act authorising the person to drive a motor vehicle of the relevant class […] 27(1) Subject to subsection (3), a person must not use, or permit the use of, a motor vehicle or a trailer on a public street unless the vehicle is registered under this Act.
The regulations then do exactly that for personal mobility devices, so neither rule reaches a compliant e-scooter. 2
reg 144(2) PMDs are excluded from "motor vehicle" Vehicle and Traffic (Driver Licensing and Vehicle Registration) Regulations 2021 (Tas) 2
The following classes of vehicles are excluded from the ambit of the definition of motor vehicle under paragraph (g) of that definition in section 3 of the Act: (a) air cushion vehicles; (b) personal mobility devices.
What happens if the police stop you in Tasmania?
Tasmania’s enforcement has one feature the other states don’t, and it costs more than a fine.
Police can temporarily confiscate your device if they reasonably believe it is being used against the Road Rules. They can hold it for 7 days, and there is a forfeiture process if nobody collects it. For a scooter you rely on to get to work, a week without it is the real penalty. 4
The fines need reading carefully, because the figures on this page are maximums a court can impose, not on-the-spot amounts. The Road Rules set them in penalty units, and Tasmania’s unit is $213 from 1 July 2026, set by notice in the Government Gazette under the Penalty Units and Other Penalties Act. Police do issue infringement notices for these offences at lower prescribed amounts. 1 6 7
The device is the other risk, and it is binary. Meet the personal mobility device limits and you are outside registration and licensing altogether. Go over them, on speed or weight or size, and it is a motor vehicle you can’t realistically register, which means it can’t be ridden on a public street at all. There is no middle tier. 2 3
What it costs to get it wrong
| Offence | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Exceeding the speed limits (r 244O) | Up to 20 penalty units — $4,260 at the 2026–27 unit value | 1 |
| Riding on a prohibited road (r 244F), past a no-scooter sign (r 244E), not giving way to pedestrians (r 244H), carrying a passenger or animal (r 244M), riding under 16 (r 244N), no lights at night (r 244P), or hand-held phone use (r 244S) | Up to 5 penalty units each — $1,065 | 1 |
| Riding without a helmet (r 244L) | Up to 2 penalty units — $426 | 1 |
Common questions
Do you have to wear a helmet on an e-scooter in Tasmania?
Yes. Riders must wear an approved bicycle helmet, securely fitted and fastened, with a fine of up to 2 penalty units ($426) for riding without one. The only exemption is a narrow one for religious headdress. 1
Can you ride an e-scooter on the footpath (sidewalk) in Tasmania?
Yes. Footpath riding is allowed at up to 15 km/h, and you must give way to pedestrians and keep enough distance to stop safely. 1
How old do you have to be to ride an e-scooter in Tasmania?
16. The Road Rules make it an offence for anyone under 16 to ride a personal mobility device. 1
Do you need a licence or registration for an e-scooter in Tasmania?
No. Compliant personal mobility devices sit outside the motor vehicle definition, so the licence and registration rules don't apply. A device that goes past those limits is a motor vehicle, and you can't realistically register one, so it can't be ridden on public streets. 2
How fast can you legally ride an e-scooter in Tasmania?
15 km/h on footpaths, and 25 km/h on shared paths, bicycle paths and roads. The scooter itself also has to be incapable of exceeding 25 km/h on motor power alone to count as a legal personal mobility device. 1
Can you ride an e-scooter on the road in Tasmania?
Only on roads with a speed limit of 50 km/h or less that have no dividing line or median strip, and that aren't multi-lane one-way roads. The exception is a road specifically declared for these devices. Keep as far left as you reasonably can. 1
Can you carry a passenger on an e-scooter in Tasmania?
No. Carrying another person or an animal on a personal mobility device is an offence. 1
Every source on this page
The small numbered marks throughout this page point to this list — 1 means source 1 below.
- Road Rules 2019 (Tas), Pt 14 Div 3 (rr 244D–244S), r 18, Sch 5 Dictionary
- Vehicle and Traffic (Driver Licensing and Vehicle Registration) Regulations 2021 (Tas), reg 144
- Vehicle and Traffic Act 1999 (Tas), ss 3(1), 8(1), 27(1)
- Traffic Act 1925 (Tas), ss 41B, 41CA
- Transport Tasmania — Personal mobility devices
- Department of Justice (Tas) — Penalty units indexed amounts, Penalty unit value from 1 July 2026 ($213)
- Penalty Units and Other Penalties Act 1987 (Tas) — s 4A notice, Tasmanian Government Gazette No. 22575, 27 May 2026, p 357 (notice dated 21 May 2026); value $213 for the year from 1 July 2026
Sourced from the Tasmanian Legislation website at 27 Aug 2026. For the latest information on Tasmanian Government legislation please go to www.legislation.tas.gov.au. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Reproduced without changes. This is not an official version. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.
Sourced from the Tasmanian Legislation website at 30 Aug 2026. For the latest information on Tasmanian Government legislation please go to www.legislation.tas.gov.au. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Reproduced without changes. This is not an official version. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.
© State of Tasmania. Sourced from gazette.tas.gov.au at 10 Oct 2026. Reproduced without changes. This is not an official version.
Other rules for Tasmania
- Are e-bikes legal in Tasmania? Legal, with conditions
- How high can a fence be in Tasmania? Legal, with conditions
- Is it legal to record a conversation in Tasmania? Legal, with conditions
- What are the pool fence rules in Tasmania? Legal, with conditions
E-scooters rules elsewhere
- Australian Capital Territory Legal, with conditions
- New South Wales Illegal
- Northern Territory Illegal
- Queensland Legal, with conditions
- South Australia Legal, with conditions
- Victoria Legal, with conditions
- Western Australia Legal, with conditions
Page history
Every change to this page
- 10 Oct 2026
- Re-checked the 2026–27 penalty-unit value of $213 against the notice that sets it, in Tasmanian Government Gazette No. 22575 (27 May 2026). The notice is now cited alongside the Department of Justice page. The fines ($4,260, $1,065 and $426) are unchanged.
- 29 Aug 2026
- Fines rechecked against Tasmania's official penalty-unit value, which rose to $213 on 1 July 2026. The figures shown were already correct. Transport Tasmania's guidance was rechecked too.
- 27 Aug 2026
- First published. Current to the Tasmanian Road Rules as at 11 December 2025.