The Missouri Side
For the MO. side of the Metro area, it is important to know that the
"City of St. Louis" is a separate and independent entity from
"St. Louis County".
St. Louis County is comprised of over 90 different municipalities - some
quite large (such as Maryland Heights and Maplewood), and some are no bigger
than a suburban subdivision (St. George, Mackenzie), along with dozens of little
bits of unincorporated-county parcels scattered throughout. Additionally, the
City proper is itself divided into 29 Wards (mini-cities), each with its own
Alderman (mini-mayor).
Why do you need to know this? Well, because while each of these
municipalities follow Missouri State law, they can also enact more
restrictive rules of their own over the states. So, for instance while STATE
law allows you to operate your sub-50cc scooter (AKA Motorized Bicycle)
without helmet or M-endorsed driver's license, a St. Louis County
municipality could possibly have laws requiring helmets and registration.
(which, in fact, some do. Such as Breckenridge Hills).
In the City Proper the landscape is not quite as Balkanized, however few
could successfully argue that there no disparity in law enforcement exists from
one Ward to another. While some Wards may be quite liberal in allowing you to
skate by with parking on a sidewalk/bicycle rack, or riding around on your
unlicensed 50cc scoot that clearly doesn't meet the "Motorized
Bicycle" criteria, the next one over could very well be going around
specifically targeting scooters, and trying to enforce ridiculous laws that are
not even intended for scooters (and are possibly not even an enacted law yet -
i.e. the "orange flag" rule - see below). It all depends on how much
influence the Alderman (mini mayor) has over his Wards patrol and beat cops
& their Captains, and what laws (either real or made-up) they may want
vigorously enforced.
So now you should be starting to understand why a comprehensive page of area
laws would be nearly impossible!
OK, so here are some ground rules:
- If your scooter qualifies
as a "Motorized Bicycle", the state does not require
license, insurance, or you to wear a helmet. Local municipalities may
require you to do so however. (see above)
- You DO however, still need to get an MSO
if buying new, and should have a clear
title, and transfer said title if buying one used. Without a clear title
in your name, you will not be able to trade in that bike to dealer, nor
prove ownership in the event of theft, vandalism, etc. Some DMV offices do
not know this and may tell you that "mopeds" are not titled. If
this happens, ask to speak with a supervisor, or go to a different office.
- Even if your ride qualifies as a Motorized Bicycle/Moped, you
must still have a valid Missouri Drivers License.
- No matter what, your ride must still meet DOT standards and be
street-legal to operate on a public roadway, or you can be cited.
- If your scooter does not meet ANY ONE the above requirements for a
Motorized Bicycle, you MUST have a valid M-endorsed Missouri Driver's
License, title, plates, registration, state safety inspection, carry minimum
insurance, and wear a DOT-approved helmet when riding.
- In order to take the riding skills portion of the license test, you must
do so on a registered, inspected, and insured scooter - no 49cc unlicensed
bikes allowed!
- Lane-Splitting or Filtering is NOT allowed in Missouri.
Helpful Links:
Missouri Motorcycle
Operators Manual - rules of the road, testing requirements, etc. This book
is what you'll need to study in order to take the written test for your
M-endorsement or a motorcycle learners permit.
Licensing
Requirements for Scooters under 50cc (Motorized Bicycles, AKA MoPed)
St. Louis City
Ordinance 66692 - The dreaded "Orange Flag" law(?)...
Official Web Site of the
City of St. Louis, Missouri
Official Web Site of St. Louis COUNTY
Department of Revenue Office Locator
(DMV)
Missouri
Motorcycle Laws, as tabulated by the AMA
The Illinois Side
Thankfully, Illinois doesn't seem as confusing as the political landscape of
the Missouri side! While it's probably true for Illinois that individual
cities and municipalities may enact more restrictive than state laws, we've not
heard at the time of this writing of any wildly varying regulations from
town-to-town as we do in MO.
There are however, a few key differences at the state level:
- Illinois does not have a helmet law.
- Illinois does require eye protection - when the motorcycle is not
equipped with a windshield. We can't find anything which specifies what
kind of eye protection (goggles, glasses?) nor height of the
windshield though, which makes one wonder just how enforceable this is?
- Illinois offers a tiered Motorcycle License system - Class-L for anything
under 150cc's, and a "regular" Class-M for everything else. Other
than being restricted to 150cc's or less with a Class-L, we can't determine
any real difference between the 2. Testing, costs, and paperwork requirement
for both seem to be identical.
- The definition
of a Moped (Motorized Pedalcycle) is much more restrictive in Illinois.
In Illinois, if you're over a mere 2bhp, you must have at least a Class-L
license. Which pretty much means that anything with a motor has to be licensed.
- The MSF Basic Rider Course (BRC) course is provided for free, and is
mandatory for anyone under the age of 18 to obtain a motorcycle license or
permit.
- Lane-Splitting and Filtering are NOT allowed in Illinois.
Helpful Links:
Illinois
Motorcycle Operator Manual - .pdf file. The book you need to study for your
L or M class permit and license.
How
to obtain an Illinois Motorcycle License
Illinois
Motorcycle License Requirements
Illinois Motorcycle Rider
Training Course information
Illinois
DMV Office Locations
Illinois
Motorcycle Laws, as tabulated by the AMA
[ St. Louis scooter clubs, webs, and blogs ] [ Regional Scooter Scene ] [ National Scooter Scene ] [ St. Louis Scooter Dealers and Shops ] [ StL Scooter Forum Useful Links Page ] [ St. Louis Scooter Forum - Area Laws & Government Resources ]
This page last edited:
03/12/2009
|
