# Is there anywhere in the USA where bicycles must be registered? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 17, 2012, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175 "2012-05-17T04:57:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175/1 "2012-05-17T04:57:15Z")
When I was a child, I was shown a metal plate that was stamped or imprinted with numbers that one or both of my parents claimed was a “license plate” that they had to have on their bicycle when they lived in New Jersey. I don’t remember if they said if it was required under State Law or if it was only a local thing e.g. with the Town or Township. 1. Are there any jurisdictions in the US where bicycles must be _registered_, even if they do not need to _display_ license plates? Living in Virginia, I’ve never heard of such a requirement and when my parents got me a bicycle, there was never any talk about taking it down to the DMV or wherever and getting a license plate or plates. 2. Were my parents pulling my leg, or was there mandatory bicycle registration in New Jersey (or part of New Jersey) at one time? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175/2 "2012-05-17T06:07:34Z")
I’ve never heard of a bicycle requiring a license or registration, but a quick google search turned up these: > **[Yes, You Need a License to Ride a Bike in Los Angeles - Streetsblog Los Angeles](https://la.streetsblog.org/2008/09/17/yes-you-need-a-license-to-ride-a-bike-in-los-angeles)** > > Recently, cyclists are finding themselves being ticketed for not having a license on their bicycle.  This has lead to outrage in the community from some, the bicycle licensing laws are meant to help recover stolen bikes not harass the people on... > **[Kansas Bicycle Registration and Licensing](http://www.kansascyclist.com/bicycle-registration.html)** > > Learn about bicycle registration and licensing requirements in the state of Kansas. Many communities require bicycles to be registered, though the specific requirements can vary considerably from city to city. And many others. Also, judging from other links on google, New Jersey seems to have had some recent controversy over a potential bicycle licensing law there. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175/3 "2012-05-17T10:01:11Z")
I grew up in NY State and in the mid-seventies there was a push for bike registrations. Don’t remember any ‘plate’ for it, just a sticker. As a kid I thought it was neat but my parents never bothered. Thinking about it now, knowing NY, it was probably little more than a state govt money making scheme (i.e. a ‘bicycle tax’)… ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175/4 "2012-05-17T13:46:32Z")
Some colleges/universities require all bikes on campus to be registered. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175/5 "2012-05-17T13:47:18Z")
The city of Cleveland Heights, OH requires bicycles to be licensed and registered: [http://www.clevelandheights.com/index.aspx?page=408](http://www.clevelandheights.com/index.aspx?page=408) ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175/6 "2012-05-17T14:09:45Z")
The town I grew up in on Long Island (NY) offered bike registration, with a plate and sticker, back in the 1960’s. I don’t think it was _required_, though. The current town I live in (also on the Island) offers to register your bike with the local PD to help in identifying it in case of theft. ---
**Author:** ![lonestar88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lonestar88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lonestar88)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175/7 "2012-05-17T15:37:49Z")
Honolulu, HI [http://www1.honolulu.gov/dts/bikereg.htm](http://www1.honolulu.gov/dts/bikereg.htm) ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175/8 "2012-05-17T15:54:52Z")
Yup, back in the 70s here, you were supposed to register and license your bike. You got a little stamped plate like a car tag. It wasn’t really enforced, though, so very few people did. AFAIK, they’ve dropped the requirement. ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175/9 "2012-05-17T16:06:49Z")
The town I live in (pop. ~10,000) requires bikes be registered. It’s a one-time fee of something like $10. I’m pretty sure 90% of the bikes are unregistered, and I think the punishment for having an unregistered bike is maybe a $25 fine that includes registration. The only situation in which it seems to be enforced is when someone is found to be riding under the influence of alcohol (which is illegal here too, not sure if it’s a municipal or state law). ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175/10 "2012-05-17T16:11:18Z")
When I lived in Wichita in the early 80s, not only were bicycles required to be registered, the fine for riding an unregistered bike on the streets was higher than the fine for driving a car with expired tags. The Eagle usually ran an article in the lifestyle section at the beginning of spring reminding people. They have since repealed it. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175/11 "2012-05-17T16:23:58Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > When I was a child, I was shown a metal plate that was stamped or imprinted with numbers that one or both of my parents claimed was a “license plate” that they had to have on their bicycle when they lived in New Jersey. I have the same memories, and I always presumed that most areas had similar requirements. And by my memory, it was not just paperwork: I had to demonstrate that I could ride my bike safely around the traffic cones they had set up. But it seems that those laws lapsed, because I easily found this article about an attempt to reinstitute those laws in Jan 2011: [http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/01/13/nj-lawmaker-wants-license-plates-on-bicycles/](http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/01/13/nj-lawmaker-wants-license-plates-on-bicycles/) ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175/12 "2012-05-17T16:29:04Z")
I have a 37 year old bike with a blue, numbered registration decal from California. It says ‘California Bike License’. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175/13 "2012-05-17T16:35:29Z")
California Vehicle Code Division 16.7 - Registration and Licensing of Bicycles: [http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/vc/tocd16\_7.htm](http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/vc/tocd16_7.htm) ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175/14 "2012-05-17T16:41:04Z")
Long Beach, California required bicycle registration until early 2011. The law was apparently widely ignored (it certainly was by me), partly because actually performing the registration was a major pain; what really prompted efforts to change it was its apparent inconsistency with Long Beach’s efforts to promote itself as one of the more bike-friendly cities in the area. [Here](http://www.longbeach.gov/news/displaynews.asp?NewsID=5137&targetid=55) is a city news release discussing the change back when it was under city council consideration in December 2010: > [@](#): > > The City of Long Beach currently requires all residents who ride a bicycle to register their Bike with the City. This program was designed to enhance police responses to reports of stolen bicycles, and also to provide an opportunity to educate cyclists about bicycle laws, safety, and road courtesy. > > However, the registration program has been a challenge to cyclists. Most cyclists do not register. The times and locations available for registration – fire stations on Saturday mornings – are not convenient, and even during those hours, registration services are often unavailable due to the other responsibilities of the fire fighters. The registration process does not include proof of ownership, nor does it include any educational element. > > The registration program costs more money than it generates. Furthermore, enforcement is difficult since cyclists who are not residents of Long Beach cannot be required to register, and no neighboring cities require registration. Few California cities, in fact, require registration. Los Angeles eliminated its mandatory registration requirement, and Santa Monica has encountered problems similar to those Long Beach is experiencing. > > The cyclist community in Long Beach is almost unanimous in opposing mandatory registration and support making the program voluntary. Doing so would allow those cyclists concerned about theft to register with the City, but also would eliminate the problems of requiring registration without providing the necessary services to make registration convenient and practical. [Here](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/02/long-beach-eliminates-bike-registration-law-that-dealt-steep-fines.html) is a blog article from the Los Angeles Times in February 2011 describing the passage of the above-mentioned motion. The current website of the City of Long Beach contains [this](http://www.longbeach.gov/faqs/categoryqna.asp?id=32#666) in the FAQ: > [@](#): > > Pursuant to City Council action earlier in 2011, effective immediately the City is no longer issuing bicycle licenses. City Council adopted a new voluntary online bicycle registration process. > > The online registry will allow residents and bicycle shops to register online, a visit to a fire station is NOT required. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175/15 "2012-05-17T17:08:10Z")
Here is a [picture](http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/5846259351/). ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175/16 "2012-05-17T17:13:17Z")
I remember having a registration sticker on my bike as a little kid growing up in Wisconsin. I also remember that during freshman orientation at UW-Madison in 1992 we were strongly encourage to get our bikes registered at a local fire station. Not sure if registration was _required_ in Madison at the time, but it more about having a way to prove a bike was yours if it was stolen. ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175/17 "2012-05-17T17:30:28Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > I grew up in NY State and in the mid-seventies there was a push for bike registrations. Don’t remember any ‘plate’ for it, just a sticker. As a kid I thought it was neat but my parents never bothered. Thinking about it now, knowing NY, it was probably little more than a state govt money making scheme (i.e. a ‘bicycle tax’)… The primary purpose was to help make it easier to track stolen bicycles and return them to the rightful owners. My sister and I came home from school one day to find a cop car with out bikes in the trunk. Somebody had broken into the garage and taken them. Thief was caught, but without those numbers our bikes would’ve ended up at the police auction. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175/18 "2012-05-17T20:16:34Z")
Yeah, I don’t think it’s required around here, either, but it’s strongly encouraged. It’s a flat $5 fee (I think they may even have changed it to free), for a little sticker that lasts forever (in both a legal and practical sense). It only takes a couple of minutes at the campus police station to fill out the forms, and I think most people go through with it just because it’s ultimately in the owner’s best interest. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anywhere-in-the-usa-where-bicycles-must-be-registered/622175/19 "2012-05-17T22:45:57Z")
Don’t know if it’s still in force, but the city of Florissant Missouri, a St. Louis suburb, used to require bike licenses. Supposed to reduce theft by making it easy to see if the rider was the registered owner.