Georgia Bicycle Laws

Required under age

Required under age 16

Applies to passengers

Yes

Standard

ANSI or Snell (a CPSC-certified helmet meets these older specifications)

Penalty

Non-criminal violation; no fine for the first offense. Parents and guardians can be held responsible for repeat violations.

Statute

¹

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

Statewide rule

Defers to local rules

Notes

Georgia has no statewide bicycle-on-sidewalk statute. O.C.G.A. § 40-6-144 prohibits driving any vehicle on a sidewalk, but Georgia courts and the Department of Driver Services have long treated bicycles ridden on sidewalks as pedestrian-equivalent rather than vehicular, leaving the question to local ordinance. Atlanta City Code § 150-129 prohibits riding on sidewalks in the central business district; Savannah restricts riding in the historic district; Athens-Clarke County permits sidewalk riding outside the downtown overlay.

Statute

—

See our commuter bike sizing guide and bike fitting guide.

Applies to bicycles

No

Separate cycling DUI statute

No

BAC limit

—

Penalty

Georgia's DUI statute (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-391) applies to anyone in actual physical control of a 'moving vehicle.' The Title 40 definition of vehicle (§ 40-1-1) excludes 'devices moved by human power,' which keeps bicycles outside the DUI statute. Cyclists who pose a risk while impaired may still face public-intoxication charges under O.C.G.A. § 16-11-41.

Statute

¹²

— Not yet researched.

Front light required

Yes

Front spec

White light on the front visible from a distance of 300 feet.

Rear requirement

Rear reflector or light

Rear spec

Red reflector on the rear visible from 300 feet when directly in front of low-beam headlamps, or a red rear lamp visible from 300 feet in lieu of the reflector. The lighting requirement is triggered by the conditions in O.C.G.A. § 40-8-20 (darkness, fog, smoke, or other conditions reducing visibility), not by clock time alone.

Side reflectors

No

Pedal reflectors

No

When required

Darkness or low visibility

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 on roadways with two or more marked traffic lanes in each direction; riders must move to single file on roadways with a single lane in each direction whenever the lane is too narrow to share. O.C.G.A. § 40-6-294(c).

Statute

¹

Rule

—

Statute

—

— Not yet researched.

Bicycle registration required

No

Operator license required

No

Interstates

Prohibited

Notes

Bicycles are prohibited on all Interstate highways in Georgia (I-16, I-20, I-24, I-59, I-75, I-85, I-95, I-185, I-285, I-475, I-516, I-575, I-675, I-985) under O.C.G.A. § 40-6-50 and GDOT signage. Conventional US routes and state highways are open by default.