The Long Arm of the Law

St. Louis Metro Area Laws Concerning Motorcycles and Scoters

If you're new to the St. Louis area, and/or new to scooting in general, you probably have a lot of questions concerning the law of the land as it pertains to 2-wheelers in town. This page has been assembled to give at least a basic overview of the lay of the landscape. Attempting to build a comprehensive resource is problematic at best, for reasons you will see below but hopefully this is enough to get you started.

If you have questions not addressed here, sign onto the Forum and give us a shout!

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

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This page last edited: 02/25/2008