Washington State’s Crazy Mini-Bike Mayhem: Do You Need a License?

What Are The Rules And Regulations When It Comes To Mini-Bikes In Washington?

My co-worker was talking to me about the rise in mini-bike riders all over Tri-Cities Washington racing through residential areas.

In a recent article, Kennewick Police are looking for a suspect who recklessly drove their mini-bike through school property. They are still looking for the guy.

It raises a lot of questions as my co-worker pointed out that the mini-bikes and riders are getting out of hand as they seem to ignore the law so it got me thinking.

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Do you need a license to ride a mini-bike in Washington State?

The short answer is, it depends.

The Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) states that any vehicle that is designed to be ridden on public roads or highways must be licensed and registered.

There are some loopholes that mini-bike enthusiasts take advantage of to avoid having to register their vehicles.

One of these loopholes is to only ride a mini-bike on private property, where no license is required. This means that if you have a large property or access to a dirt track, you can ride your mini-bike without worrying about registration or licensing.

However, if you ride your mini-bike on public roads or highways, you will need to have a license, registration, and insurance, just like any other motorized vehicle.

Even if you have your mini-bike registered and licensed, you still need to follow certain rules and regulations while riding it.

For example, you must wear a helmet and other protective gear, you must follow standard traffic laws, and you cannot ride on sidewalks or pedestrian paths.

Breaking any of these rules can result in fines, points on your license, or even criminal charges depending on the severity of the offense.

While mini-bikes can be a fun and unique way to get around town, they can also be a source of chaos and danger on the streets such as causing accidents, noise disturbances, and general mayhem in Washington State.

I can't tell you what to do but hopefully, police will start cracking down on those mini-bike riders and the first place it starts is making sure each of those riders has a license!

You can read what's required to operate a mini-bike in Washington State here.