Walworth County committee directs staff to draft county e‑bike ordinance

Walworth County’s Public Works Committee on July 20 voted to have staff draft a county ordinance that would regulate e‑bike use on county properties where the county has jurisdiction, including parks, county highways and county‑owned assets.

Dennis Grabowski moved that staff prepare an ordinance; Bud Wojcik seconded the motion and the committee approved it. Committee members cited growing community concerns about higher‑powered e‑bikes, enforcement problems and risks to pedestrians.

Mitch, who prepared the correspondence, told the committee he had omitted one category of devices in the original document: higher‑powered e‑bikes that operate more like motorcycles and are not subject to registration. "They're almost motorcycles essentially," he said, describing enforcement and safety challenges. Committee members recounted seeing young children riding large e‑bikes on sidewalks and raised concerns about helmet use and speed. "If somebody had been walking there, they could've got nailed," one member said describing a near‑miss on a sidewalk.

Members discussed jurisdictional limits: while municipalities can adopt local rules for streets and sidewalks, the county has authority on county roads, parks and trails where those assets fall under county control. Staff said enforcement of any ordinance would rely on law enforcement. Several members said the county’s draft could serve as a model or guidance for municipalities and the county association (WCA) could be asked to consider broader recommendations.

Next steps: staff will draft a proposed county ordinance and return it to the committee for review; the committee also discussed referring the draft to the Wisconsin Counties Association as a potential model for other counties.