Wildabeest
Well-known member
Just be aware that on Federal lands, Federal policy impacts this more than any state level decisions. Forest Service (USDA) has clearly stated they consider e-bikes to be motorized vehicles and are only allowed where motorized vehicles are permitted. BLM (DOI) has taken the opposite view and have ruled that certain classes of e-bikes should be considered bikes and therefore permitted anywhere regular bikes are permitted. That being said, they’ve left it up to the local land managers to implement specific guidelines on this as part of their land management plans, and the general consensus is that until the local land managers do that, then the older guidance that they are motorized should prevail.
So bottom line is that on DOI/BLM there’s some gray area that might lead to various interpretations since there’s final rule making recorded in the Federal Register that states certain classes of e-bikes are considered bikes vs. motorized vehicles on BLM. In addition, the Montana/Dakotas land manager might issue their implementation of the rule before hunting season, which might have some restrictions and limitations, but would likely open up quite a bit of BLM to e-bikes.
Here’s some information on the BLM rule:
E-bikes on public lands: FAQ | Bureau of Land Management
BLM Final E-bike Rule - Questions and Answers What is an electric bicycle, or e-bike?
AFAIK, MT FWP has not issued any policy regarding e-bikes. So whether you can use them on state lands or not could be another area where there would be differing interpretations. From a DMV perspective, they are considered bikes in MT, not motorcycles.
Montana law (61-8-102, MCA) defines e-bikes, or “electrically assisted bicycles” as a bicycle with two operational pedals with a motor attached propels the bicycle and a rider who weighs 170 pounds no faster than 20 miles an hour. Essentially, for the purposes of regulation and enforcement, an e-bike is treated as a bicycle. The state does not require license or registration. And e-bikes may be ridden on roadways and bicycle paths.
I’m not advocating any particular side here. I know some folks feel pretty strongly about this issue and want to believe that “non-motorized means non-motorized”. But the reality of the situation is that there are contradictory and confusing rules, regulation and guidance from the various government agencies that result in it not being that clear cut. My gut says that at the federal level BLM land managers and eventually Forest Service will be forced to align on certain classes of e-bikes being treated as regular bikes which would open up their usage on all non-Wilderness federal lands. States will do their own thing for state lands, and could potentially implement specific hunting regs that disallow e-bikes for hunting, even on Federal land. If I were lobbying against them, I would focus on that last point as the most viable way to keep as many of them as possible out of my hunting area.
