Florida Bicycle Laws

Required under age

Required under age 16

Applies to passengers

Yes

Standard

CPSC

Penalty

Civil infraction; first violation typically dismissed if a helmet is obtained. Subsequent offenses carry a fine of up to $15 plus court costs.

Statute

¹

See our find your helmet size and kids bike sizing guide.

Statewide rule

Allowed with conditions

Notes

Florida is unusual in expressly allowing statewide sidewalk cycling: Fla. Stat. § 316.2065(10) gives a person riding on a sidewalk all the rights and duties of a pedestrian, and § 316.2065(11) requires the rider to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and give an audible signal before overtaking and passing. Local governments can prohibit sidewalk riding by ordinance; Miami Beach and several Tampa business districts have done so. Bike paths and shared-use paths are governed separately.

Statute

¹

See our commuter bike sizing guide and bike fitting guide.

Applies to bicycles

Yes

Separate cycling DUI statute

No

BAC limit

0.08

Penalty

Florida's DUI statute (Fla. Stat. § 316.193) applies to anyone in actual physical control of a 'vehicle,' and § 316.003 defines vehicle broadly enough to cover bicycles. A bicycle DUI carries the same statutory penalty range as an auto DUI - fines from $500 to $1,000 on a first offense, possible jail time, and a driver-licence suspension of at least 180 days even though no motor vehicle was involved.

Statute

¹²

— Not yet researched.

Front light required

Yes

Front spec

Lamp on the front exhibiting a white light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet.

Rear requirement

Rear light only

Rear spec

Florida is unusually strict: between sunset and sunrise the bicycle must carry both a lamp and a reflector on the rear, each emitting or reflecting a red light visible from at least 600 feet to the rear. The reflector requirement is satisfied by the factory CPSC reflector that ships on every new bicycle; the rear lamp must be added separately.

Side reflectors

No

Pedal reflectors

No

When required

Darkness

Statute

¹

See our bike lights that meet the law and winter and low-light cycling setup.

— Not yet researched.

Two abreast allowed

Yes

Conditions

Two abreast permitted; riders must move into a single file when being overtaken from the rear by a faster-moving vehicle, and may not impede traffic. Fla. Stat. § 316.2065(6).

Statute

¹

Rule

Prohibited

Statute

¹

— Not yet researched.

Bicycle registration required

No

Operator license required

No

Interstates

Prohibited

Notes

Bicycles are prohibited on all Interstate highways in Florida (I-4, I-10, I-75, I-95, I-275, I-295, I-595) under FDOT Rule 14-65.0031 and the on-ramp signage. Conventional US routes and state highways - including the long-distance touring routes across the Panhandle and through the Keys - are open by default.