Motorcycle helmet use laws

Motorcycle helmet laws that apply to all riders have been shown to reduce deaths and injuries. Read more on our main motorcycle page.

This material has been prepared for general information purposes only. It is not guaranteed to be current and should be independently verified. Do not rely on it when considering how a law may apply to your circumstances.

December 2024

State	Required to wear helmet	Motorcycle-type vehicles not covered
Alabama	all riders	all are covered
Alaska	17 and younger^{Footnote 1}	all are covered
Arizona	17 and younger	moped, defined by the state as having an engine displacement of 50 cc or less, brake horsepower of 1.5 or less, and a maximum speed of 25 mph
Arkansas	20 and younger	all are covered
California	all riders	all are covered
Colorado	17 and younger and passengers 17 and younger	all are covered
Connecticut	17 and younger	all are covered
Delaware	18 and younger and passengers 18 and younger; novice riders and their passengers for the first two years after endorsement^{Footnote 2}	moped, defined by the state as a pedal or non-pedal bicycle having two tandem wheels and an engine displacement of less than 55 cc or an electric motor rated between 751 and 2000 watts, if the operator is 17 or older
District of Columbia	all riders	all are covered
Florida	20 and younger^{Footnote 3}	moped, defined by the state as having an engine displacement of 50 cc or less, brake horsepower of 2 or less, and maximum speed of 30 mph, if the operator is 16 or older
Georgia	all riders	moped, defined by the state as having an engine displacement of 50 cc or less, brake horsepower of 2 or less and maximum speed on 30 mph
Hawaii	17 and younger	all are covered
Idaho	17 and younger	moped, defined by the state as having an engine displacement of 50 cc or less, brake horsepower of less than 2, and maximum speed of 30 mph
Illinois	no law	no law
Indiana	17 and younger	all are covered
Iowa	no law	no law
Kansas	17 and younger	all are covered
Kentucky	20 and younger^{Footnote 4}	moped, defined by the state as having an engine displacement of 50 cc or less, brake horsepower of 2 or less, and maximum speed of 30 mph
Louisiana	all riders	all are covered
Maine	17 and younger^{Footnote 5}	motorized bicycle, defined by the state as having brake horsepower of 1.5 or less and maximum unassisted speed of 25 mph; may have pedals
Maryland	all riders	all are covered
Massachusetts	all riders	all are covered
Michigan	20 and younger^{Footnote 6}	moped, defined by the state as having an engine displacement of 50 cc or less and maximum speed of 30 mph, if the operator is 19 or older
Minnesota	17 and younger^{Footnote 7}	all are covered
Mississippi	all riders	all are covered
Missouri	25 and younger^{Footnote 8}	motorized bicycles, defined by the state as having an engine displacement of 50 cc or less, brake horsepower less than 3, and maximum speed of 30 mph
Montana	17 and younger	moped, defined by the state as having brake horsepower of 2 or less and maximum unassisted speed of 30 mph
Nebraska	20 and younger^{Footnote 9}	all are covered
Nevada	all riders	all are covered
New Hampshire	no law	no law
New Jersey	all riders	all are covered
New Mexico	17 and younger	moped, defined by the state as having an engine displacement less than 50 cc and maximum speeds of 30 mph
New York	all riders	class C limited use motorcycle, defined by the state as having maximum speeds of 20 mph
North Carolina	all riders	all are covered
North Dakota	17 and younger^{Footnote 10}	all are covered
Ohio	17 and younger^{Footnote 11}	all are covered
Oklahoma	17 and younger	motor-driven cycle, defined by the state as having an engine displacement greater than 35 cc but less than 150 cc or electric motor that produces more than 1000 watts moped, defined by the state as having an engine displacement of 50 cc or less, brake horsepower of 2 or less and maximum speed of 30 mph
Oregon	all riders	all are covered
Pennsylvania	20 and younger^{Footnote 12}	all are covered
Rhode Island	20 and younger^{Footnote 13}	all are covered
South Carolina	20 and younger	motorcycle three-wheel vehicle, defined by the state as having detachable side cars, saddle-type seat, and handlebars or motorcycle-type steering
South Dakota	17 and younger	all are covered
Tennessee	all riders	all are covered
Texas	20 and younger^{Footnote 14}	all are covered
Utah	20 and younger	all are covered
Vermont	all riders	motor-driven cycle, defined by the state as having an engine displacement of 50 cc or less, brake horsepower of 2 or less, and maximum speed of 30 mph
Virginia	all riders	all are covered
Washington	all riders	all are covered
West Virginia	all riders	all are covered
Wisconsin	17 and younger^{Footnote 15}	moped, defined by the state as having an engine displacement of 130 cc or less, maximum speed of 30 mph, and fully operative pedals
Wyoming	17 and younger	moped, defined by the state as having an engine displacement of 50 cc or less, brake horsepower of 2 or less, and maximum speeds of 30 mph

Footnotes

^{Footnote 1} Alaska's motorcycle helmet use law covers passengers of all ages, operators younger than 18, and operators with instructional permits. ↩
^{Footnote 2} In Delaware, every motorcycle operator or rider age 19 and older must carry an approved helmet. ↩
^{Footnote 3} In Florida, the law requires that all riders younger than 21 years wear helmets, without exception. Those 21 years and older may ride without helmets only if they can show proof that they are covered by a medical insurance policy. ↩
^{Footnote 4} In Kentucky, motorcycle helmet laws also cover operators with instructional/learner's permits. ↩
^{Footnote 5} Motorcycle helmet laws in Maine cover operators with instructional/learner's permits and operators in their first year of licensure. Maine's motorcycle helmet use law also covers passengers 17 and younger and passengers riding with operators who are required to wear a helmet. ↩
^{Footnote 6} In Michigan, the law requires that all riders younger than 21 wear helmets, without exception. Those 21 and older may ride without helmets only if they carry additional insurance and have passed a motorcycle safety course or have had their motorcycle endorsement for at least two years. Motorcycle passengers who want to exercise this option also must be 21 or older and carry additional insurance. ↩
^{Footnote 7} Motorcycle helmet laws in Minnesota cover operators with instructional/learner's permits. ↩
^{Footnote 8} In Missouri, riders younger than 26 and instruction permit holders, regardless of age, must wear protective headgear when the vehicle is in motion. Operators who are 26 and older may operate a motorcycle without protective headgear if they maintain proof of financial responsiblity. No person shall be stopped, inspected, or detained solely to determine compliance. ↩
^{Footnote 9} In Nebraska, the law requires that all riders younger than 21 wear helmets. In addition, all passengers younger than 21 or riding with an operator younger than 21 must wear helmets. Those 21 and older may ride without helmets if they hold a Nebraska Class M license and complete the Motorcycle Safety Foundation three- hour Basic eCourse and submit proof of completion to the Department of Motor Vehicles. ↩
^{Footnote 10} North Dakota's motorcycle helmet use law covers all passengers traveling with operators who are covered by the law. ↩
^{Footnote 11} Ohio's motorcycle helmet use law covers all operators during the first year of licensure and all passengers of operators who are covered by the law. ↩
^{Footnote 12} Pennsylvania's motorcycle helmet use law covers all operators during the first two years of licensure unless the operator has completed the safety course approved by PennDOT or the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. ↩
^{Footnote 13} Rhode Island's motorcycle helmet use law covers all passengers (regardless of age) and all operators during the first year of licensure (regardless of age). ↩
^{Footnote 14} Texas exempts riders 21 or older if they can either show proof of successfully completing a motorcycle operator training and safety course or can show proof of having a medical insurance policy. A peace officer may not stop or detain a person who is the operator of or a passenger on a motorcycle for the sole purpose of determining whether the person has successfully completed the motorcycle operator training and safety course or is covered by a health insurance plan. ↩
^{Footnote 15} Motorcycle helmet laws in Wisconsin cover operators with instructional/learner's permits. ↩