Clemson City Council recently approved new ordinances regulating bicycles, e-scooters and skateboards outside of campus. The ordinances provide guidance for riders, notably requiring that they stay off sidewalks in downtown Clemson.
The new dismount zone stretches on College Avenue from S.C. 93 to Edgewood Avenue. Inside the dismount zone, riders must stay on the road. Outside of the dismount zone, riders may choose to ride on either the road or the sidewalk.

For riders of e-scooters, e-skateboards and similar devices, they can only ride on the road if the roadway is under 25 mph and a municipal road.

This means that riding e-scooters on the road on Tiger Boulevard would be a finable offense.

In order to ride at night, e-scooters must also have a headlight on the front and a taillight on the back.

Violations of the ordinance can result in fines ranging from $75 to $500 or 30 days in jail.

The ordinance also addresses the city’s concerns with scooters piling up across town. E-scooters left on public property, such as sidewalks, may be confiscated if left unattended. Once an e-scooter is confiscated, the owner will need to pay a $45 fee within 24 hours to get the scooter back.

The new ordinances are a first step towards regulating the devices, which are not currently defined under state law.

“Our city has seen a significant increase in the use of e-scooters and other micro-mobility devices, and many near collisions and resulting confrontations have occurred,” reads a press release from the city of Clemson. “Research of our laws revealed they did not adequately provide guidance on acceptable use of these devices.”

The ordinance also updates the city’s status on bringing rentable e-scooters to Clemson, requiring that any business intending to do so must ensure that sidewalk riding and parking regulations are followed.

A full copy of the ordinance is available on the city of Clemson’s website at clemsoncity.org.