Santa Fe, New Mexico

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city record · part of New Mexico · Electric unicycle

What the law calls it

The law names this device.

Allowed, with conditions

Santa Fe names the electric unicycle in its own traffic code. Since 2023 a one-wheeled device with a motor of no more than 750 watts is a “unicycle”, ridden under the bicycle rules, and is not a motor vehicle. Above 750 watts, or able to exceed 28 mph, the code calls it a motor vehicle instead.

Why PEVRA reads it this way

What the law says

Ordinance No. 2023-24, adopted August 30, 2023, did three things at once: it took electric unicycles out of the city’s definition of “motor vehicle” (§ 12-1-40), put them into the definition of “vehicle”, and applied the bicycle rules of Article 8 to them. § 12-1-86.5 defines the class: a device “equipped with one wheel and a motor of no more than seven hundred fifty (750) watts” with any of stationary foot plates, pedals, a saddle or handlebars, and subdivision (D) says such devices are also called electric unicycles. Subdivision (C) draws the upper line: devices with motors outputting more than 750 watts, or able to reach more than 28 mph, are motor vehicles.

What the numbers are

The 750 watts and 28 mph are the ordinance’s test of the machine, not an instruction to the rider, and the ordinance names no measurement basis — rated, continuous or peak — for the watts. A rider cannot read a motor’s output from the saddle; PEVRA reports the figures as written and takes no position on how an officer would measure them.

What PEVRA cannot tell you

How the city treats a wheel above the line. On the words it is a motor vehicle, and the state rules for motor vehicles are a separate question PEVRA has not yet verified for New Mexico.

Where PEVRA stands

PEVRA’s position is that electric unicycles belong on all roads, bike paths and sidewalks, at a speed appropriate to and limited by the prevailing use of the space. Santa Fe wrote that into law in 2023, and it is the model PEVRA points other cities to. PEVRA’s position is also that the behaviour, not the machine, is what a law should regulate; a wattage line is the part of this ordinance PEVRA would write differently.

equipped with one wheel and a motor of no more than seven hundred fifty (750) watts

Santa Fe UTO § 12-1-86.5 — "unicycle" and "electric unicycle" definition and the 750 W / 28 mph ceilingTier A — the jurisdiction’s own official publicationLaw as of Archived copy

Verified by Jesse Garnier on · next review

The definition turns on: motor power, speed capability. Limits: 750 W max motor power · 28 mph max speed.

The law’s definition names a motor of no more than 750 W. The ordinance names no measurement basis — rated, continuous or peak. The law’s definition names a top speed of no more than 28 mph.

Where you can ride

Roads

Allowed, with conditions

The law names this device.

Yes. In Santa Fe a unicyclist has the same rights and the same duties as a driver on the city’s streets, under the bicycle rules. Ride at a speed reasonable for the conditions, do not hitch onto a vehicle, and watch for signs on the few heavily travelled streets the traffic administrator may close.

Why PEVRA reads it this way

What the law says

§ 12-8-2(A): “Operators of bicycles and unicycles have the same rights as operators of motor vehicles in the use of streets, highways and roadways within the city, except as otherwise specifically provided herein.” § 12-8-2(B) gives them the same duties as drivers, except where a rule by its nature cannot apply. § 12-8-10(A): no faster than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions.

Local

The ordinance lets the city’s traffic administrator designate heavily travelled streets where unicycles are barred, effective with signage; PEVRA has not read the current list of such streets and has not put that section on this row.

Where PEVRA stands

PEVRA’s position is that electric unicycles belong on all roads, bike paths and sidewalks, at a speed appropriate to and limited by the prevailing use of the space. Santa Fe wrote that into law in 2023, and it is the model PEVRA points other cities to.

Operators of bicycles and unicycles have the same rights as operators of motor vehicles in the use of streets, highways and roadways within the city

Santa Fe UTO § 12-8-2 — operators of bicycles and unicycles have the same rights and duties as motor vehicle operatorsTier A — the jurisdiction’s own official publicationLaw as of Archived copy

Verified by Jesse Garnier on · next review

  • Holding on to another vehicle while riding is prohibited. § 12-8-4: no clinging to vehicles.
  • Prohibited on roads where a sign says so. § 12-10-3.1: the traffic administrator may designate heavily travelled streets where unicycles are barred, with signage.

Bike lanes

Allowed, with conditions

The law names this device.

Yes, and stay in it where it is wide enough. Santa Fe’s bicycle-lane rule names the unicyclist: in a marked lane with at least four feet of rideable space you should keep to the lane, except at intersections, to pass, to avoid parked cars or obstacles, or to turn.

Why PEVRA reads it this way

What the law says

§ 12-8-12(A): where a marked bicycle lane “provides a minimum of four feet of rideable space, a bicyclist or unicyclist having entered such a lane shall endeavor to maintain the lane”, except at intersections or to pass a slower rider or avoid parked cars or obstacles. § 12-8-12(B) lets a rider leave the lane between intersections for a U-turn, a permitted left turn, or a driveway.

Where PEVRA stands

PEVRA’s position is that electric unicycles belong on all roads, bike paths and sidewalks, at a speed appropriate to and limited by the prevailing use of the space. Santa Fe wrote that into law in 2023, and it is the model PEVRA points other cities to. A bike lane is one place a wheel may lawfully be; PEVRA does not treat it as the place a wheel belongs.

a bicyclist or unicyclist having entered such a lane shall endeavor to maintain the lane

Santa Fe UTO § 12-8-12 — operation in a bicycle lane: maintain the lane, with exceptionsTier A — the jurisdiction’s own official publicationLaw as of Archived copy

Verified by Jesse Garnier on · next review

Sidewalks and footpaths

Allowed, with conditions

The law names this device.

Yes, unless a sign says no. Santa Fe lets a unicyclist ride a sidewalk except where signs prohibit it, at no more than 10 mph, yielding the right of way to anyone walking. Step off, and you are a pedestrian.

Why PEVRA reads it this way

What the law says

§ 12-8-15(A): “No person shall ride a bicycle or unicycle on any sidewalk when signs are posted prohibiting the riding of bicycles or unicycles on the sidewalk.” (B): a rider who dismounts is subject to the laws that apply to pedestrians. (C): a rider on a sidewalk “shall yield the right of way to any pedestrian.” § 12-8-10(B): “Where riding on sidewalks is allowed, bicycles and unicycles shall be limited to ten (10) miles per hour.”

What PEVRA cannot tell you

Which sidewalks carry a sign. PEVRA has not read a city inventory of posted sidewalks, so the rule is: look for the sign.

Where PEVRA stands

PEVRA’s position is that electric unicycles belong on all roads, bike paths and sidewalks, at a speed appropriate to and limited by the prevailing use of the space. Santa Fe wrote that into law in 2023, and it is the model PEVRA points other cities to. A sidewalk shared with people walking is a walking-pace place, and 10 mph is Santa Fe’s number for it.

No person shall ride a bicycle or unicycle on any sidewalk when signs are posted prohibiting the riding of bicycles or unicycles on the sidewalk

Santa Fe UTO § 12-8-15 — sidewalk riding allowed unless signs prohibit it; duty to yieldTier A — the jurisdiction’s own official publicationLaw as of Archived copy

Verified by Jesse Garnier on · next review

  • Prohibited on sidewalks and footpaths where a sign says so.
  • On sidewalks and footpaths: 10 mph or under.
  • Give way to people walking.

Motorways and limited-access highways

Prohibited

The law names this device.

No. Santa Fe’s traffic code keeps pedestrians, bicycles and unicycles off any controlled-access street, in one sentence, and it names the unicycle. This is the one Santa Fe surface that is closed outright, and it is closed by a rule written for bicycles too.

Why PEVRA reads it this way

What the law says

§ 12-6-2.16(A): “No pedestrian, bicycle, unicycle, or other non-motorized traffic shall use any controlled-access street”, while drivers on such a street are not relieved of due care. A controlled-access street is the city’s term for a road you may enter only at designated points.

Where PEVRA stands

PEVRA supports every facility rule a city sets for a reason it can state, and a controlled-access street is one. The New Mexico state rule for freeways is a separate question PEVRA has not yet verified.

No pedestrian, bicycle, unicycle, or other non-motorized traffic shall use any controlled-access street

Santa Fe UTO § 12-6-2.16 — unicycles barred from controlled-access streetsTier A — the jurisdiction’s own official publicationLaw as of Archived copy

Verified by Jesse Garnier on · next review

  • Prohibited on motorways and limited-access highways.

Rules of the ride

Speed limits

Allowed, with conditions

The law names this device.

Two rules. Anywhere: no faster than is reasonable and prudent for the conditions, with no number attached. On a sidewalk where riding is allowed: 10 mph. Both are written for bicycles and unicycles together, and both are about how you ride, not how the machine is built.

Why PEVRA reads it this way

What the law says

§ 12-8-10(A): “No person shall operate a bicycle or unicycle at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions then existing.” § 12-8-10(B): “Where riding on sidewalks is allowed, bicycles and unicycles shall be limited to ten (10) miles per hour.” On the road, no unicycle-specific number applies; the street’s own posted limit does, through § 12-8-2’s same-duties rule.

What the numbers are not

§ 12-1-86.5(C)’s 28 mph is a line in the definition of the machine, not a speed limit: a device that can exceed it is a motor vehicle. PEVRA reports it on the definition row and not here.

Where PEVRA stands

PEVRA supports every rider speed limit a jurisdiction sets, by facility, and opposes any cap built into the machine. Rider limits yes, device limits no.

Where riding on sidewalks is allowed, bicycles and unicycles shall be limited to ten (10) miles per hour

Santa Fe UTO § 12-8-10 — reasonable-and-prudent speed, and the 10 mph sidewalk capTier A — the jurisdiction’s own official publicationLaw as of Archived copy

Verified by Jesse Garnier on · next review

The definition turns on: motor power, speed capability. Limits: 28 mph max speed · 750 W max motor power.

Helmets

Not required — no rule addresses it

The law names this device.

Wear one; that is PEVRA’s advice. No helmet rule PEVRA has found reaches an electric unicycle rider in Santa Fe: the city code mentions a helmet only as a place to mount a light, and the state’s child helmet law lists bicycles, skates, scooters and skateboards, each defined by a shape a unicycle does not have.

Why PEVRA reads it this way

What the law says

UTO § 12-8-7(A) names a helmet only as somewhere a white lamp may be attached in place of a frame lamp. The state Child Helmet Safety Act puts a duty on the parent or guardian of a rider under 18, but only for its own list — bicycle, skates, scooter, skateboard — and its definitions require pedals and saddle seats (bicycle) or handlebars (scooter), which a unicycle has neither of.

The untested reading

A 2023 amendment made the Act’s “skateboard” definition wheel-count-agnostic: “a set of wheels attached to a platform … regardless of the number or placement of those wheels”. PEVRA has read the Act and the city code and found no authority applying that definition to a one-wheeled self-balancing device.

Where PEVRA stands

Wear one. PEVRA’s job is to describe and model safe riding, and a helmet is the least of it, whatever the statute finally says.

It is unlawful for a parent or legal guardian of a minor to knowingly permit that minor to operate or be a passenger on a bicycle, skates, scooter or skateboard unless that minor wears a well-fitted protective bicycle helmet

NM Child Helmet Safety Act — definitions and the parent-liability helmet rule for an enumerated device listTier A — the jurisdiction’s own official publicationLaw as of Archived copy

Verified by Jesse Garnier on · next review · last checked , source unreachable

The definition turns on: enumerated list.

Minimum age

No minimum age — no rule sets one

The law names this device.

None in the city code. As introduced, the 2023 ordinance would have barred riders under 16 from a “Class 2” unicycle; the council struck the two-class scheme and the age ban by floor amendment before adopting it. The adopted under-16 rule reaches Class 3 electric bicycles only. State law is not yet verified.

delete “And to prohibit anyone under the age of sixteen from riding a class two electric unicycle”

Santa Fe Ordinance No. 2023-24 — floor amendment striking the two-class scheme and the under-16 banTier A — the jurisdiction’s own official publicationLaw as of Archived copy

Verified by Jesse Garnier on · next review

Lights, brakes and other equipment

Lamps and brakes required

The law names this device.

At night, a white front lamp visible 500 feet and a red rear reflector visible from 50 to 300 feet; a white lamp on your helmet may stand in for the front lamp. Always, a brake that will stop the wheel promptly on dry, level, clean pavement. That is the whole list.

Why PEVRA reads it this way

What the law says

§ 12-8-7(A): every bicycle or unicycle in use at nighttime “shall be equipped with a lamp on the front which shall emit a white light visible from a distance of at least five hundred feet to the front and with a red reflector on the rear which shall be visible from all distances from fifty feet to three hundred feet to the rear”; a red rear lamp visible 500 feet may be added, and a white lamp attached to the rider’s helmet “may also be used in lieu of a light attached to the bicycle or unicycle.” § 12-8-7(B): a brake “or other means which will enable the operator to bring the bicycle or unicycle promptly to a stop on dry, level, clean pavement.” No stopping distance is specified, and braking through the motor meets a rule written by result.

Where PEVRA stands

PEVRA’s position is that the behaviour, not the device, is what a law should regulate. A lamp-and-brake rule written by result, with the rider allowed to wear the lamp, is the shape PEVRA would ask other cities to copy.

Every bicycle or unicycle shall be equipped with a brake or other means which will enable the operator to bring the bicycle or unicycle promptly to a stop on dry, level, clean pavement

Santa Fe UTO § 12-8-7 — lamps, reflector and brakeTier A — the jurisdiction’s own official publicationLaw as of Archived copy

Verified by Jesse Garnier on · next review

  • At night: a white front lamp visible at 500 ft, a red rear reflector. Rear red reflector visible from 50 to 300 feet; an optional rear red lamp visible 500 feet is permitted; a helmet-mounted white lamp may substitute for the frame lamp.
  • A working brake is required. § 12-8-7.B: a brake capable of stopping the device on dry, level, clean pavement. No stopping distance is specified.

Paperwork

Driver license

Not required — no rule addresses it

The law names this device.

Santa Fe’s traffic code removes electric unicycles from “motor vehicle”, the class a driver licence attaches to, and in the sections of the city code PEVRA has read no section requires a licence to ride one. State law is a separate question PEVRA has not yet verified.

every vehicle, except electric bicycles and electric unicycles, that is propelled by electric power obtained from batteries

Santa Fe UTO § 12-1-40 — "motor vehicle" as amended to carve out electric unicyclesTier A — the jurisdiction’s own official publicationLaw as of Archived copy

Verified by Jesse Garnier on · next review

Registration and plates

Not required — no rule addresses it

The law names this device.

Santa Fe’s traffic code removes electric unicycles from “motor vehicle”, the class registration and plates attach to, and in the sections of the city code PEVRA has read no section requires registering a unicycle. State law is a separate question PEVRA has not yet verified.

every vehicle, except electric bicycles and electric unicycles, that is propelled by electric power obtained from batteries

Santa Fe UTO § 12-1-40 — "motor vehicle" as amended to carve out electric unicyclesTier A — the jurisdiction’s own official publicationLaw as of Archived copy

Verified by Jesse Garnier on · next review

Insurance

Not required — no rule addresses it

The law names this device.

New Mexico’s Mandatory Financial Responsibility Act attaches to motor vehicles, and Santa Fe’s traffic code removes electric unicycles from that class. In the sections of the city code PEVRA has read, none requires insurance to ride one. State law is a separate question PEVRA has not yet verified.

every vehicle, except electric bicycles and electric unicycles, that is propelled by electric power obtained from batteries

Santa Fe UTO § 12-1-40 — "motor vehicle" as amended to carve out electric unicyclesTier A — the jurisdiction’s own official publicationLaw as of Archived copy

Verified by Jesse Garnier on · next review

Carrying and teaching

The street as ridden

Chalk, not paint. This zone holds what riders and agencies report about how riding here actually goes — letters, video, stops. A report is never a verdict: the law above stands on its own evidence, and nothing written here changes it.

No reports on file for Santa Fe yet. Absence of a record is not evidence that the law is unenforced. PEVRA collects written evidence — a letter from a sheriff, a recorded stop, a rider’s account — and publishes counts, never rates. Have one from Santa Fe? Send it through the corrections form while report intake is built.

A status here is a reading of the words the law actually uses, not a prediction about whether anyone will stop you. Where a definition was written by shape — “two nontandem wheels”, “handlebars”, “a floorboard” — a one-wheeled device often falls out of every class the law wrote and into the leftover “motor vehicle” class, which it can never register for. That drafting accident, not a policy choice, is what most of these pages record. How PEVRA verifies.

This page is legal information, not legal advice, and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Nothing here should be construed as an attempt to offer or render a legal opinion or otherwise engage in the practice of law. PEVRA does not warrant that this information is complete or accurate and disclaims all liability for any loss caused by errors or omissions. Laws change; check the 'as of' date and the official source linked on every claim.

Page data as of 2026-09-12 · git 7d4327f