FAQs: Are bicycle helmets required in Cali?

Confused about bike laws? Feel free to phone Bicycling Monterey.

 

Bicycle helmet requirements for California

1. Youth. California DMV VC Section 21212 states that people younger than age 18 are required to wear helmets when biking on “a street, bikeway, as defined in Section 890.4 of the Streets and Highways Code, or any other public bicycle path or trail.”

   Youth, also be aware that even if a property doesn’t meet CA state law requirements about where minors must wear helmets, a property owner may still require that you wear a helmet.

2. Adults. Although California state law does not require adults to wear a bicycle helmet, check with your county’s bicycling advocacy leaders (e.g., California Bicycle Coalition’s local partners and allies) to learn about any possible city or county ordinances to the contrary. 

3. All ages. Some properties, organizations, or events in California—public or private— may require helmets for adults as well as for youth. Here are just a few examples from Monterey County:

• Helmets for all ages are required at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, e.g., at Twilight Rides.
• Helmets for all ages are required to participate in any Monterey Off Road Cycling Association (MORCA) ride.
• Helmets for all ages are required on the Naval Postgraduate School campus—for civilians as well as for military personnel.
• On other U.S. military properties, helmets are also typically required for all ages. Check with military officials regarding helmet requirements for a specific property. A 6/26/12 traffic safety memo issued by the Chief of Naval Operations states, “Bicycle operators riding on a Navy installation roadway shall ride…while properly wearing…a bicycle helmet approved by the Consumer Product Safety Commission or Snell Memorial Foundation at all times. All active duty military personnel shall wear an approved bicycle helmet on and off a Navy installation. Commanders may determine helmet requirements for bicycle operators at industrial work sites.” (Source: https://nps.edu/documents/111291366/111353779/5100+12J+Traffic+Safety+Instructions.pdf/55deb7ba-cff3-4e64-b9dd-e63607fc881d?t=1423773720000.)  Related resources from the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, a program of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association: http://helmets.org/milregs.htm and http://helmets.org/mil_regs.htm.)
  
• Non-military federal properties have varying helmet requirements. What about at Fort Ord National Monument? Scroll down.

Learn more about bicycle helmets

• “Natividad Medical Center employees to youth: “Bike! It’s health-building and fun! And first, clip this on…”
• “It’s Not about Wearing a Helmet—The HER Helmet Thursdays Project.”
• Bicycle Helmet Fit Guides are included on this site, in English and Spanish. Refer to Bicycle Riding Skills, Bike Safety, and CA Bicycle Laws—for Children, Teens, and Adults, and for Spanish, Información en español sobre las bicicletas: A compilation of bicycling resources in Spanish.

Learn more about riding skills, safety, bike laws

• Start here: Bicycle Riding Skills, Bike Safety, and CA Bicycle Laws—for Children, Teens, and Adults
• Specific to sidewalks, start here: Bicycling on Sidewalks: Misconceptions and Advisories. Also: Crosswalks, and “What Pedestrians and Bicyclists Want Each Other to Know”

A caller recently asked, “Are helmets required for biking at Fort Ord National Monument?”

• Whether you’re biking pavement or mountain bike trails at Fort Ord, many riders would recommend a helmet.
• For adults, as confirmed with the Bureau of Land Management Central Coast field office on 3/9/18, adults are not required to wear a helmet when biking at Fort Ord National Monument.
• For youth, keep in mind California DMV VC Section 21212, which includes that people younger than age 18 are required to wear helmets when biking on “a street, bikeway, as defined in Section 890.4 of the Streets and Highways Code, or any other public bicycle path or trail.”

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This young Seaside resident was out with family members to enjoy

the Monterey Bay coastal trail’s City of Monterey section, June 2021.