1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to transportation; modifying definitions and registration requirements for 
1.3 	motorized bicycles and motorcycles powered by electric motors; requiring sellers 
1.4 	of certain motorized bicycles and motorcycles powered by electric motors to have 
1.5 	a dealer license; prohibiting certain vehicles from using public roads;amending 
1.6 	Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 84.787, subdivision 7; 84.788, subdivision 12; 
1.7 	168.27, subdivisions 1, 24; 169.011, subdivisions 40b, 44, 45; 169.02, subdivision 
1.8 	1; 169.223, by adding a subdivision; 169.974, by adding a subdivision; Minnesota 
1.9 	Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 168.27, subdivision 22.
1.10 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.11 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 84.787, subdivision 7, is amended to read:
1.12 		Subd. 7.Off-highway motorcycle. (a) "Off-highway motorcycle" means a motorized,
1.13 	an off-highway vehicle propelled by an electric motor or an internal combustion engine, 
1.14 	traveling on two wheels, and having a seat or saddle designed to be straddled by the operator 
1.15 	and handlebars for steering control, including a vehicle that is registered under chapter 168 
1.16 	for highway use if it is also used for off-highway operation on trails or unimproved terrain.
1.17 	(b) Off-highway motorcycle includes a motorized bicycle, as defined in section 169.011, 
1.18 	subdivision 45, when registered under section 84.788 and operated on designated off-highway 
1.19 	motorcycle trails.
1.20 	(c) Off-highway motorcycle does not include an electric-assisted bicycle as defined in 
1.21 	section 169.011, subdivision 27.

2.1 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 84.788, subdivision 12, is amended to read:
2.2 		Subd. 12.Dual registration. (a) An off-highway motorcycle registered under this section 
2.3 	may also be registered as a motorcycle or motorized bicycle under chapter 168 for use on 
2.4 	public roads and highways.
2.5 	(b) If the off-highway motorcycle was not originally constructed primarily for use on 
2.6 	public roads and highways, the off-highway motorcycle must be equipped with mirrors and 
2.7 	a headlight, taillight, and horn and be otherwise modified as necessary to meet the 
2.8 	requirements of chapter 169, the safety standards of the National Traffic and Motor Safety 
2.9 	Act, Code of Federal Regulations, title 49, part 571, and the regulations adopted under that 
2.10 	federal act, for motorcycles regarding safety and acceptability to operate on public roads 
2.11 	and highways.
2.12 	(c) An applicant for registration under chapter 168 must submit a form, prescribed by 
2.13 	the commissioner of public safety.
2.14 	(d) For the purposes of this subdivision, off-highway motorcycle according to, as defined 
2.15 	in section 84.787, subdivision 7, does not include a golf cart; mini truck; dune buggy; 
2.16 	go-cart; moped; pocket bike; gray market vehicle; or vehicle designed and used specifically 
2.17 	for lawn maintenance, agriculture, logging, or mining purposes.

2.18 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 168.27, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
2.19 		Subdivision 1.Definitions. (a) For the purposes of this section, the terms in paragraphs 
2.20 	(b) to (o) have the meanings given them.
2.21 	(b) "Auctioning motor vehicles" means arranging for and handling the sale of motor 
2.22 	vehicles, not the property of the auctioneer, to the highest bidder.
2.23 	(c) "Brokering motor vehicles" means arranging sales or leases between buyers and 
2.24 	sellers, or lessees and lessors, of motor vehicles and receiving a fee for those services.
2.25 	(d) "Commercial building" means a permanent, enclosed building that is on a permanent 
2.26 	foundation and connected to local sewer and water facilities or otherwise complying with 
2.27 	local sanitary codes, is adapted to commercial use, and conforms to local government zoning 
2.28 	requirements. "Commercial building" may include strip office malls or garages if a separate 
2.29 	entrance and a separate address are maintained and the dealership is clearly identified as a 
2.30 	separate business.
2.31 	(e) "Commercial office space" means office space occupying all or part of a commercial 
2.32 	building.
3.1 	(f) "Dealer" includes licensed new motor vehicle dealers, used motor vehicle dealers, 
3.2 	motor vehicle brokers, wholesalers, auctioneers, lessors of new or used motor vehicles, 
3.3 	scrap metal processors, used vehicle parts dealers, and salvage pools.
3.4 	(g) "Horse trailer" is a trailer designed and used to carry horses and other livestock, 
3.5 	which has not more than three axles and a maximum gross weight capacity of not more than 
3.6 	24,000 pounds.
3.7 	(h) "Junked vehicle" means a vehicle that is declared unrepairable under section 
3.8 	168A.151.
3.9 	(i) "Leasing motor vehicles" means furnishing a motor vehicle for a fee under a 
3.10 	bailor-bailee relationship where no incidences of ownership are intended to be transferred 
3.11 	other than the right to use the vehicle for a stated period of time.
3.12 	(j) "Motor vehicle" has the meaning given it in section 168.002, subdivision 18, and 
3.13 	also includes:
3.14 	(1) a park trailer as defined in section 168.002, subdivision 23.; and
3.15 	(2) a motorized bicycle as defined in section 168.002, subdivision 20, regardless of 
3.16 	whether the vehicle is designed and originally manufactured to operate primarily on 
3.17 	highways.
3.18 	(k) "Motor vehicle broker" means a person who arranges the sale of a motor vehicle 
3.19 	between a buyer and a seller, or the lease of a motor vehicle between a lessee and a lessor, 
3.20 	for which service the broker receives a fee.
3.21 	(l) "New motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle other than described in paragraph (n).
3.22 	(m) "Registration year" means the 12-month period for which a dealer license is issued.
3.23 	(n) "Used motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle for which title has been transferred 
3.24 	from the person who first acquired it from the manufacturer, distributor, or dealer. A new 
3.25 	motor vehicle will not be considered a used motor vehicle until it has been placed in actual 
3.26 	operation and not held for resale by an owner who has been granted a certificate of title on 
3.27 	the motor vehicle and has registered the motor vehicle in accordance with this chapter and 
3.28 	chapters 168A and 297B, or the laws of the residence of the owner.
3.29 	(o) "Wholesaling motor vehicles" means selling new or used motor vehicles to dealers 
3.30 	for resale to the public.

4.1 	Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 168.27, subdivision 22, is amended 
4.2 	to read:
4.3 		Subd. 22.Dealer license for trailers, motorized bicycles; plates, fees; exemptions. (a) 
4.4 	Any person, copartnership, or corporation having a permanent enclosed commercial building 
4.5 	or structure either owned in fee or leased and engaged in the business, either exclusively or 
4.6 	in addition to any other occupation, of selling motorized bicycles, boat trailers, horse trailers, 
4.7 	or snowmobile trailers, may apply to the registrar for a dealer's license. Upon payment of 
4.8 	a $10 fee the registrar must license the applicant as a dealer for the remainder of the calendar 
4.9 	year in which the application was received. The license may be renewed on or before the 
4.10 	second day of January of each succeeding year by payment of a fee of $10.
4.11 	(b) The registrar must issue to each dealer, upon request of the dealer, up to 50 dealer 
4.12 	plates as provided in subdivision 16 upon payment of $5 for each plate. The plates may be 
4.13 	used in the same manner and for the same purposes as is provided in subdivision 16. Except 
4.14 	for motorized bicycle dealers, The registrar must also issue to the dealer, upon request of 
4.15 	the dealer, "in-transit" plates as provided in subdivision 17 upon payment of a fee of $5 for 
4.16 	each plate.
4.17 	(c) This subdivision does not abrogate any of the provisions of this section relating to 
4.18 	the duties, responsibilities, and requirements of persons, copartnerships, or corporations 
4.19 	engaged in the business, either exclusively or in addition to other occupations, of selling 
4.20 	motor vehicles or manufactured homes, except that a seller of boat trailers, utility trailers, 
4.21 	or snowmobile trailers who is licensed under this subdivision is not required to have a 
4.22 	contract or franchise with a manufacturer or distributor of new boat trailers, utility trailers, 
4.23 	or new snowmobile trailers the seller proposes to sell, broker, wholesale, or auction. This 
4.24 	section does not require a manufacturer of snowmobile trailers whose manufacturing facility 
4.25 	is located outside of the metropolitan area as defined in section 473.121 to have a dealer's 
4.26 	license to transport the snowmobile trailers to dealers or retail outlets in the state.

4.27 	Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 168.27, subdivision 24, is amended to read:
4.28 		Subd. 24.Bonds. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, all persons 
4.29 	licensed according to this section shall keep in full force and effect a bond with a corporate 
4.30 	surety to be approved by the registrar of motor vehicles in the following amounts; in the 
4.31 	case of boat trailer, snowmobile trailer, or horse trailer or motorized bicycle dealers, or 
4.32 	dealers in trailers with a manufacturer's rated carrying capacity under 15,000 pounds designed 
4.33 	to transport small construction or farm equipment, in the amount of $5,000; and as to all 
4.34 	other persons in the amount of $50,000. The bond must be conditioned on the faithful 
5.1 	performance by the licensee of the obligations imposed on persons engaged in motor vehicle 
5.2 	transactions by the laws of this state, including the conduct required of a licensee by this 
5.3 	section and other sections governing the sale or transfer of motor vehicles, and the payment 
5.4 	of all taxes, license fees, and penalties. The bond must be for the benefit of the state of 
5.5 	Minnesota and any transferor, seller, or purchaser of a motor vehicle for any monetary loss 
5.6 	caused by failure of the licensee to meet the obligations enumerated above. Proceedings on 
5.7 	the forfeiture of the bonds must be commenced in the district court of the county wherein 
5.8 	the business of the licensed person was carried on, or if in more than one county, the county 
5.9 	in which the offense occurred. This subdivision does not apply to a used vehicle parts dealer 
5.10 	or a scrap metal processor.
5.11 	(b) This subdivision does not apply to:
5.12 	(1) a dealer in new trailers designed to transport small construction or farm equipment 
5.13 	in any year following a year in which the dealer had less than $500,000 in gross receipts 
5.14 	from the sale of such trailers; or
5.15 	(2) a dealer in new trailers designed to transport small construction or farm equipment 
5.16 	who has been a dealer in such trailers for less than one year and who the department 
5.17 	reasonably determines will have gross receipts of less than $500,000 during the first year 
5.18 	of business.

5.19 	Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 169.011, subdivision 40b, is amended to read:
5.20 		Subd. 40b.Micromobility device. (a) "Micromobility device" means a vehicle that:
5.21 	(1) is capable of: (i) being propelled solely by human power; (ii) being powered solely 
5.22 	by an electric motor drawing current from rechargeable storage batteries, fuel cells, or other 
5.23 	portable sources of electrical current; or (iii) both (i) and (ii);
5.24 	(2) when solely powered by an electric motor, is not capable of propelling the vehicle 
5.25 	at a speed greater than 30 20 miles per hour on a paved level surface; and
5.26 	(3) has an unloaded weight of up to 500 100 pounds.
5.27 	(b) Micromobility device includes a bicycle, a motorized foot scooter, and an electric 
5.28 	personal assistive mobility device. Micromobility device includes a motorized bicycle that 
5.29 	meets the requirements under paragraph (a).

5.30 	Sec. 7. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 169.011, subdivision 44, is amended to read:
5.31 		Subd. 44.Motorcycle. (a) "Motorcycle" means every motor vehicle having that:
6.1 	(1) has a seat or saddle for the use of the rider and;
6.2 	(2) is designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground, 
6.3 	including; and
6.4 	(3) is propelled by an electric or liquid fuel motor.
6.5 	(b) Motorcycle includes but is not limited to a vehicle under paragraph (a) that has an 
6.6 	electric motor of at least 1,500 watts, motor scooters, and autocycles.
6.7 	(c) A vehicle is not a motorcycle does not include if it meets the requirements of (1) a
6.8 	motorized bicycles bicycle as defined in subdivision 45, (2) an electric-assisted bicycles
6.9 	bicycle as defined in subdivision 27, (3) a motorized foot scooter, (4) a tractor, or (4) (5) a
6.10 	roadable aircraft.

6.11 	Sec. 8. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 169.011, subdivision 45, is amended to read:
6.12 		Subd. 45.Motorized bicycle. "Motorized bicycle" means a bicycle that is propelled by 
6.13 	an electric motor of more than 750 watts but less than 1,500 watts or a liquid fuel motor of 
6.14 	a piston displacement capacity of 50 cubic centimeters or less, and a maximum of two brake 
6.15 	horsepower, which is capable of a maximum speed of not more than 30 miles per hour on 
6.16 	a flat surface with not more than one percent grade in any direction when the motor is 
6.17 	engaged. Motorized bicycle does not include an electric-assisted bicycle as defined in 
6.18 	subdivision 27.

6.19 	Sec. 9. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 169.02, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
6.20 		Subdivision 1.Application to persons, places, and vehicles. (a) The provisions of this 
6.21 	chapter relating to the operation of vehicles refer exclusively to the operation of vehicles 
6.22 	upon highways, and upon highways, streets, private roads, and roadways situated on property 
6.23 	owned, leased, or occupied by the regents of the University of Minnesota, or the University 
6.24 	of Minnesota, except:
6.25 	(1) where a different place is specifically referred to in a given section;
6.26 	(2) the provisions of sections 169.09 to 169.13 apply to any person who drives, operates, 
6.27 	or is in physical control of a motor vehicle within this state or upon the ice of any boundary 
6.28 	water of this state, and to any person who drives, operates, or is in physical control of a 
6.29 	snowmobile on a snowmobile trail within this state.
6.30 	(b) A vehicle must not be operated upon the highways of Minnesota if it does not meet 
6.31 	the specifications of a vehicle as defined in section 169.011 in addition to the definition 
7.1 	under section 169.011, subdivision 92, either as that vehicle was originally manufactured 
7.2 	or subsequently modified.

7.3 	Sec. 10. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 169.223, is amended by adding a subdivision 
7.4 	to read:
7.5 		Subd. 6.Electrical safety standards. No person may sell a motorized bicycle powered 
7.6 	by an electric motor unless the motorized bicycle:
7.7 	(1) has been certified by an independent third-party ISO-17065 certified laboratory for 
7.8 	compliance with ANSI/CAN/UL Standard 2272 and bears the certification mark of the 
7.9 	laboratory; or
7.10 	(2) has been certified by the vehicle manufacturer for compliance with SAE International 
7.11 	standard J2929 or a similar applicable electrical safety standard approved by the 
7.12 	commissioner of public safety.

7.13 	Sec. 11. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 169.974, is amended by adding a subdivision 
7.14 	to read:
7.15 		Subd. 8.Electrical safety standards. No person may sell a motorcycle powered by an 
7.16 	electric motor unless the motorcycle has been certified by the vehicle manufacturer for 
7.17 	compliance with: (1) the latest revision of SAE International standard J2929; or (2) a similar 
7.18 	applicable standard from SAE International, International Organization for Standardization 
7.19 	(ISO), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), or International 
7.20 	Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), or another electrical safety standard. A standard under 
7.21 	clause (2) must be approved by the commissioner of public safety.