The Lowdown on DC Bike Laws: What You Need to Know

Bike Rules in a Nutshell

DC has some basic rules of the road for people riding bicycles that you will want to keep in mind as you ride about. Keep in mind that these are general laws, and local municipalities within DC may have their own particular rules of the road that vary somewhat from the city-wide rules.
Obey all traffic laws
Cyclists must obey all traffic laws that do apply to them, which includes obeying signals, signs, and lane markings governing road users. On one hand, DC cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as motorists in this regard. In practice, however, and in terms of case law, your rights on the road specifically revolve around riding at a safe distance from parked vehicles. You also have the right to take a full lane of the roadway when needed for safety, including when you are preparing to make a left turn. But the general rules are basically the same as the ones that apply to cars.
A motorist is expected to keep a safe distance between her vehicle and a bicycle, and a cyclist on a bicycle is expected to keep a safe distance between herself and other vehicles, but especially parked vehicles. A close call with a parked car can be a very dangerous experience. It is important to give parked vehicles a wide berth, at least three feet if possible. Always be aware of your surroundings when riding past parked vehicles, and always check for opened car doors and moving traffic or pedestrians before riding through an intersection. A driver might neglect to keep an eye out for you as she leaves the parking space, and she may not give a turn signal when changing lanes. And it is important to be careful in crowded areas as well, where being jostled by other pedestrians can potentially cause you to lose your balance and fall off your bike.
It is important to remember that just because an area is marked as a "No Parking Zone" does not mean that vehicles are prohibited from stopping in that area . The law does allow for parking in No Parking Zones in certain situations, and the law requires cars to yield to both pedestrians and cycles that may be more than three feet away from the curb line or on the sidewalk side of the bike lane separating cyclists from traffic when the cycle lane is adjacent to the curb. Motorists should give cyclists in these locations a three foot distance to be safe, which is what is reasonable according to law.
Cycle lanes should also not be parked in. All cyclists should only use designated bicycle lanes for traveling, never parking. The only exception to this rule is if you are unable to park your bicycle anywhere else other than the cycle lane, in which case you would be allowed to park your cycle in the lane—but only for 2 hours or less. However, you are not allowed to leave the bike lane for more than a short period of time to move your bicycle 15 feet to a trashcan, mail box, or similar privately owned item on the sidewalk.
Bicycles may be parked on sidewalks, provided that they do not block a sidewalk or crosswalk, are not chained to trees, sign posts, handicapped ramps, news stands, bicycle racks or any other object that cannot break away when the bicycle is moved, and no more than 5 bikes are chained together at once. If you are caught breaking these laws, you may be subject to both civil and criminal penalties.
There are also various requirements that you must abide by as a cyclist in order to operate a cycle legally in DC. For example, unless your bike qualifies for the criteria allowing for an exception, all bicycles used on public roadways must have a working lamp if they are being used at night. Helmets, although highly recommended, are not mandatory in DC. Failure to wear a helmet does not constitute a violation of DC’s bicycle laws.
Finally, bicycles are not allowed in certain places in this city. For example, bicycles and other vehicles are banned from federal parks and grounds, which includes all areas overseen by the National Park Service in the District of Columbia.

Cycling Gear and Helmet Requirements

D.C. law does not require adults to wear helmets — they are legal but optional. That said, all cyclists under the age of 16 must wear a helmet that one deemed safe by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or Snell. Furthermore, if the rider is under the age of 16, the law requires the operator or passenger on a bicycle to wear it without exception.
These youth laws for wearing helmets in D.C. do not apply when the child is riding on a public, charter, or private school bus.
Operators of bicycles and mopeds are required to wear goggles or glasses unless they are protected by a windshield, windshield visor, or helmet shield. Furthermore, the glasses, goggles, or other faceshield must extend far enough that "unaided vision of the operator is available at all times, day or night."

Bicycle Lane and Right of Way Guidelines

The rules governing bike lane usage and right of way are designed to ensure that cyclists have priority in designated areas, but also that they continue moving, rather than impeding other vehicles or pedestrians. DC law requires that cyclists keep to the right side of the bike lane when traveling with traffic, unless the lane is divided into lanes. The right side of the bike lane is also the appropriate lane for cyclists going to the rear of a line of stopping or stopped traffic. However, when proceeding through an intersection, the cyclist may move into the next lane to the left if doing so will help them avoid the stopped traffic in the bike lane.
Along with these special rights of way, however, come limitations. A cyclist may not drive their bike in any lane of a roadway unless there is no bike lane. When a bike lane does exist, the cyclist must use it. Breaking these laws results in a fine and could be used as evidence against you in a personal injury case. DC law also prohibits the blocking of bike lanes by motor vehicles, which is both an offense in and of itself and additional evidence against negligent motorists in cases of bicycle accidents.

Sidewalk and Biking

Fortunately for cyclists, riding on sidewalks is actually legal in most of the city. However, there are a few areas where riding on the sidewalk is illegal. That list includes 15th Street between Constitution Ave NW and New York Ave NW, as well as the portion of Pennsylvania Ave that runs through Lafayette Park (although cyclists may use the sidewalk on Pennsylvania Avenue, they must dismount and walk their bicycles from 3pm to 6pm on weekdays).
In addition to these specific rules regarding riding on the sidewalk, cyclists should also be aware of the general laws of the road when using sidewalks for travel. For example, bicycles must yield the right of way to pedestrians at all times and cyclists must yield the right of way to pedestrians using playgrounds or recreational facilities. This means that if you’re on a bike and approach an individual on the sidewalk who is not riding a bike, you may have to come to a complete stop to allow them to pass or continue teaching their child to ride a bicycle.

Motorist Signals, Stops, and Cyclists

Although cyclists are required to obey traffic signals and stop signs, their obligations are not quite the same as a driver in a motor vehicle. In the District, cyclists are expected to do things like yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks, treat a stop sign as a "yield" sign, and treat a red light like a stop sign if the way is clear and it is safe to do so. However, this does not mean that cyclists can safely or legally ride through a red light all the time. Below, we explain the law and some gray areas that cyclists should know about.
When traveling on a road with a bicycle, cyclists in Washington, D.C. are subject to the traffic control provisions of Title 18 of the D.C. Municipal Regulations (vehicles are subject to the traffic control provisions of Section 404 in the Model Traffic Code). This means they must obey all traffic control devices, stop signs, and traffic signals as if they were motor vehicles (D.C. Code § 50-2201.03(e); 18 D.C. Code § 1205(e)). As with operators of motor vehicles, the exception to these requirements applies when the traffic control signal is not operational—the exception allows a cyclist to proceed through a red light or stop sign, yielding to other vehicles as appropriate (D.C. Code § 50-2201.03(a-1)) .
However, like operators of motor vehicles, cyclists must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians at uncontrolled intersections, even when the signals are working (including when a pedestrian crosses against a signal) (18 D.C. Code § 1205 (p)).
Unlike the laws governing motor vehicles, which allow both motorists and cyclists to treat a stop sign as a "yield" sign, the D.C. Municipal Regulations (which are not equivalent to the Model Traffic Code) require a cyclist to come to a full stop at "STOP" sign with one exception. A stop sign with a left-turn-only lane at an intersection may be treated as a "yield" sign, but only if the left-turn lane is separate from the lane(s) that is available for traffic proceeding straight through the intersection and the cyclist is traveling straight through the intersection (18 D.C. Municipal Regulations § 1205(h)(3)). In addition, cyclists may treat a red light as a "stop" sign if (and only if) it is not safe to proceed through the intersection after stopping. In other words, cyclists do not enjoy the same "pass" privileges of motor vehicles under D.C. Code § 50-2201.03(a-1) (18 D.C. Municipal Regulations § 1205(h)(4)). Finally, cyclists are required to stop for pedestrians who are already in any other part of a roadway including busy sidewalks, so long as the cyclist can do so safely (18 D.C. Municipal Regulations § 1205(m)).

Criminal Penalties under the Bike Laws

The punishment for running a red light is usually a $50 fine. The fine for riding on a sidewalk is $100. Failing to yield is also $100. Wearing earbuds, which is an offense in DC, can cost you $50. So if you have earbuds in and are riding your bike on the sidewalk, that’s $150. That could cost you a night or two in jail if you have no job and don’t have the money. And the government will impound your bicycle. So if you leave your bicycle out in front of Giant at 14th and P Street without a lock, you could lose it all together and still owe them money for the ticket to pay a civil penalty for failing to secure your bike.
Failure to give your name or contact information, when stopped, for not having a functional bell or headlight, or for riding at night without the required lights, could cost you $50. Riding at night with no headlight costs $50, and riding with no taillight costs the same amount. It’s $100 if you’re on the street at night without both lights. Showing up without your driver’s license can be a $50 infraction. Riding your bicycle on the wrong side of the street is $50. Riding without a license plate is $50. And if you use a bike share program, like Capital Bikeshare, you have to show the card and the card must cover that bike under its user agreement, or you get a ticket. We have seen a lot of accidents happen because someone did not know what the law was. In this city, ignorance is no excuse.

Biking Safely in the District

While this blog post focuses largely on what you must do to keep yourself on the right side of the law, there’s a lot more to riding bikes in DC than just ensuring compliance with the law. Here are just a few important safety tips for DC cyclists:
Wear a helmet: While the laws regarding DC cyclists don’t require riders to wear helmets (unless you’re under 18), wearing a helmet is proven to protect you from serious head injury in the event of a fall or collision.
Wear reflective materials and/or lights: Yes, DC law requires all cyclists to have a front light on their bicycle during periods of darkness. But going above and beyond those legal requirements can help keep you safe on the road. Florida’s Orlando Sentinel pointed out in an article that a comprehensive study of bike accident data found that night-time visibility was particularly important , suggesting that cyclists take additional precautions with reflective gear. Some items that cyclists could wear or affix to their bikes include:
Reflective tape
Reflective stickers
Reflective vests or jackets
Reflective backpacks
Reflective ankle straps
Reflective helmets
Reflective wheels
Reflective helmets
Reflectors on handlebars, pedals and back of bike
Lighting on the front and back of the bike
Avoid crowded areas: Slow down in areas where the cycling path is extremely congested with pedestrians. On sidewalks or paths shared with pedestrians, it’s your responsibility to yield the right of way to pedestrians. This is a way to keep yourself and others safe by avoiding a collision with pedestrians.