Houston approves nighttime scooter curfew amid public safety concerns
Ryan Nickerson
6–7 minutes
People ride e-scooters and other electric vehicles around Discovery Green in downtown Houston, TX on Friday July 26, 2025. Mayor John Whitmire’s administration has proposed an outright ban on e-scooters in downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.
People ride e-scooters and other electric vehicles around Discovery Green in downtown Houston, TX on Friday July 26, 2025. Mayor John Whitmire’s administration has proposed an outright ban on e-scooters in downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.
Sharon Steinmann/Houston Chronicle
The Houston City Council voted Wednesday to establish a citywide curfew on electric scooter use and rentals between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m., citing what officials called a growing public safety risk downtown
The measure follows months of debate over how to regulate electric scooters and other micromobility transportation. Mayor John Whitmire said a surge of reckless nighttime riding has become “one of the city’s No. 1 security risks,” pointing to repeated complaints from hotels and businesses near Discovery Green and the George R. Brown Convention Center.
“Not only are Houston First’s activities, but obviously Discovery Green, out hotels, and our sports venues are being jeopardized,” Whitmire said.
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At council, he recalled leaving a recent Dynamo game and having to step off the sidewalk to let scooter riders pass. He also mentioned a recent incident in which a resident of a high-rise near Discovery Green reported a bullet fired through the building’s lobby, which Whitmire suggested was linked to scooter activity.
The city’s enforcement data from 2021-25 shows 129 scooters seized, 74 impounded, 53 vendor warnings, 13 vendor citations, 3,016 rider warnings, 51 rider citations, five guns seized and eight arrests. No deaths were reflected in the city’s data. Meanwhile, Houston last year recorded its deadliest year on record for vehicle drivers, passengers and pedestrians, with 345 people killed on Houston-area streets, a record high after two years of declines.
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Under the new rules, riding or renting an electric scooter or other “micromobility device” between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. is prohibited citywide. The same curfew applies to off-highway vehicles such as ATVs. Scooters used for commuting to work or school, in emergencies, or by first responders and city employees are exempt. Devices operated in violation may be impounded and subject to fines of up to $500 per offense.
The ordinance also bans temporary pop-up rental stands and requires all rentals to come from permitted brick-and-mortar vendors.
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The curfew replaces an earlier proposal that would have banned scooters entirely within downtown, Midtown, and East Downtown. After months of public feedback, city officials shifted to a time-based restriction meant to curb late-night “joyriding” while preserving commuter use.
Council Member Julian Ramirez, who chairs the Quality of Life Committee, objected to voting Wednesday since the final ordinance language wasn’t publicly released until Friday afternoon, giving residents little opportunity to review or comment before the vote. He moved to delay the item for two weeks, which would have delayed the vote until after the Thanksgiving break.
That prompted a tense exchange.
Whitmire and several council members urged Ramirez not to delay, warning that the holiday season would bring heavier pedestrian traffic downtown and that the city couldn’t, in Whitmire’s words, “yield to special interest groups.” Council Member Joaquin Martinez warned that he would override Ramirez’ tag.
This debate came just weeks after Council Member Letitia Plummer attempted to pass an ordinance creating a “high-risk” designation for Houston’s most dangerous apartment complexes — a measure she argued could be amended later. Many of her colleagues resisted, voting 9–7 to reject it after raising policy concerns. For the scooter ordinance, however, council members took the opposite approach, allowing it to pass with the understanding that it could be revised later.
After a 15-minute recess, Ramirez withdrew his move to delay, saying Whitmire had promised to hold a public Quality of Life Committee hearing in early December to gather feedback and consider amendments.
“I value transparency and folks having a say in their government,” Ramirez said. “With the understanding that we’ll hold a public hearing in early December to take input and consider tweaks, I will not exercise a tag.”
On Tuesday, Houston First Corporation, which oversees the city’s convention and tourism efforts, urged council to approve the measure, citing widespread complaints from hotels and downtown businesses about unsafe riding and blocked sidewalks.
Houston First President and CEO Michael Heckman said scooters in downtown “are being rented for entertainment and often mischievous use around areas unintended for motorized scooters.”
Martinez and Council Member Twila Carter both sit on the Houston First board.
Mobility and equity advocates, however, argued the process was rushed and could lead to over-policing. Ed Pettitt, vice president of the Greater Third Ward Super Neighborhood, emailed council members Tuesday night urging them to delay the vote, warning that the ordinance misinterprets safety data and could invite pretextual policing.
Jake Cooper, founder of Rent EBoards, said the city’s decision to scale back its original ban was “a step in the right direction,” but he remains wary of the curfew’s reach.
“Ideally, you wouldn’t need a curfew — people should be able to ride whenever as long as they’re doing it safely and responsibly,” he said. “We should enforce the rules we already have instead of adding new ones.”
The council’s Quality of Life Committee is expected to revisit the ordinance in early December, when members will take public testimony and consider possible amendments.
Do yourself a favor and install Firefox or Librewolf with the uBlock Origin extension installed, then click on Reader Mode: This will make the web in general much more usable and much less dangerous (ads are a huge malware and scam attack vector).
Paywall.
Also:
Houston approves nighttime scooter curfew amid public safety concerns Ryan Nickerson 6–7 minutes People ride e-scooters and other electric vehicles around Discovery Green in downtown Houston, TX on Friday July 26, 2025. Mayor John Whitmire’s administration has proposed an outright ban on e-scooters in downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.
People ride e-scooters and other electric vehicles around Discovery Green in downtown Houston, TX on Friday July 26, 2025. Mayor John Whitmire’s administration has proposed an outright ban on e-scooters in downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. Sharon Steinmann/Houston Chronicle
The Houston City Council voted Wednesday to establish a citywide curfew on electric scooter use and rentals between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m., citing what officials called a growing public safety risk downtown
The measure follows months of debate over how to regulate electric scooters and other micromobility transportation. Mayor John Whitmire said a surge of reckless nighttime riding has become “one of the city’s No. 1 security risks,” pointing to repeated complaints from hotels and businesses near Discovery Green and the George R. Brown Convention Center.
“Not only are Houston First’s activities, but obviously Discovery Green, out hotels, and our sports venues are being jeopardized,” Whitmire said.
Article continues below this ad
At council, he recalled leaving a recent Dynamo game and having to step off the sidewalk to let scooter riders pass. He also mentioned a recent incident in which a resident of a high-rise near Discovery Green reported a bullet fired through the building’s lobby, which Whitmire suggested was linked to scooter activity.
The city’s enforcement data from 2021-25 shows 129 scooters seized, 74 impounded, 53 vendor warnings, 13 vendor citations, 3,016 rider warnings, 51 rider citations, five guns seized and eight arrests. No deaths were reflected in the city’s data. Meanwhile, Houston last year recorded its deadliest year on record for vehicle drivers, passengers and pedestrians, with 345 people killed on Houston-area streets, a record high after two years of declines.
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Add Preferred Source
Under the new rules, riding or renting an electric scooter or other “micromobility device” between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. is prohibited citywide. The same curfew applies to off-highway vehicles such as ATVs. Scooters used for commuting to work or school, in emergencies, or by first responders and city employees are exempt. Devices operated in violation may be impounded and subject to fines of up to $500 per offense.
The ordinance also bans temporary pop-up rental stands and requires all rentals to come from permitted brick-and-mortar vendors.
Article continues below this ad
The curfew replaces an earlier proposal that would have banned scooters entirely within downtown, Midtown, and East Downtown. After months of public feedback, city officials shifted to a time-based restriction meant to curb late-night “joyriding” while preserving commuter use.
Council Member Julian Ramirez, who chairs the Quality of Life Committee, objected to voting Wednesday since the final ordinance language wasn’t publicly released until Friday afternoon, giving residents little opportunity to review or comment before the vote. He moved to delay the item for two weeks, which would have delayed the vote until after the Thanksgiving break.
That prompted a tense exchange.
Whitmire and several council members urged Ramirez not to delay, warning that the holiday season would bring heavier pedestrian traffic downtown and that the city couldn’t, in Whitmire’s words, “yield to special interest groups.” Council Member Joaquin Martinez warned that he would override Ramirez’ tag.
This debate came just weeks after Council Member Letitia Plummer attempted to pass an ordinance creating a “high-risk” designation for Houston’s most dangerous apartment complexes — a measure she argued could be amended later. Many of her colleagues resisted, voting 9–7 to reject it after raising policy concerns. For the scooter ordinance, however, council members took the opposite approach, allowing it to pass with the understanding that it could be revised later.
After a 15-minute recess, Ramirez withdrew his move to delay, saying Whitmire had promised to hold a public Quality of Life Committee hearing in early December to gather feedback and consider amendments.
“I value transparency and folks having a say in their government,” Ramirez said. “With the understanding that we’ll hold a public hearing in early December to take input and consider tweaks, I will not exercise a tag.”
On Tuesday, Houston First Corporation, which oversees the city’s convention and tourism efforts, urged council to approve the measure, citing widespread complaints from hotels and downtown businesses about unsafe riding and blocked sidewalks.
Houston First President and CEO Michael Heckman said scooters in downtown “are being rented for entertainment and often mischievous use around areas unintended for motorized scooters.”
Martinez and Council Member Twila Carter both sit on the Houston First board.
Mobility and equity advocates, however, argued the process was rushed and could lead to over-policing. Ed Pettitt, vice president of the Greater Third Ward Super Neighborhood, emailed council members Tuesday night urging them to delay the vote, warning that the ordinance misinterprets safety data and could invite pretextual policing.
Jake Cooper, founder of Rent EBoards, said the city’s decision to scale back its original ban was “a step in the right direction,” but he remains wary of the curfew’s reach.
“Ideally, you wouldn’t need a curfew — people should be able to ride whenever as long as they’re doing it safely and responsibly,” he said. “We should enforce the rules we already have instead of adding new ones.”
The council’s Quality of Life Committee is expected to revisit the ordinance in early December, when members will take public testimony and consider possible amendments.
Do yourself a favor and install Firefox or Librewolf with the uBlock Origin extension installed, then click on Reader Mode: This will make the web in general much more usable and much less dangerous (ads are a huge malware and scam attack vector).
Nah.
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Someone pasted the content already. I didn’t need to install and configure anything. I’ve done the same for others. Seems like an easier option.
Yeah, you’re talking about me: I am that someone. You’re welcome.
You want your web experience infested with ads, malware, and scams, that’s your business. Good luck!