Source: https://stopandmove.com/2013/02/clovis-repeals-bike-licensing.html/
Timestamp: 2019-05-19 08:45:30
Document Index: 482849337

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1']

Clovis repeals bike licensing, registration requirement - Stop and Move
That law, in place since 1975, stated that in Clovis, one is required to register their bike, receive a license…..and display a license plate. The law also included rules on transfer of ownership, and fines. Such a ridiculous law has not been enforced in years, if ever. However, now the council finally took up the motion to repeal that entire section of the code as to not conflict with the new voluntary system.
This is a good thing. Even if the laws were never enforced, having bogus laws on the books can lead to police abuse. Imagine if you’re riding a bike, but breaking no law. If unenforced laws that no one knows about are still valid, an officer could stop you and cite you just because he doesn’t like your face.
The details of the old law are pretty amusing, in how absurd it is. Frankly, it seems like they took the automobile section of the law, and simply pasted in the word bicycle. Fortunately, the fees and such were “reasonable”.
It shall be unlawful for any person to operate or use a bicycle
propelled wholly or in part by muscular power upon any of the streets,
alleys, or public highways of the City without first obtaining from the
Police Department a license therefor.
Naturally this section doesn’t work out so well because Clovis is not an island. Once cannot simply ban all bicycle traffic from Fresno, for example.
……Such licenses, when issued, shall entitle the licensee to operate such
bicycle for which such license has been issued upon all the streets,
alleys, and public highways, exclusive of sidewalks, of the City.
The City shall provide license plates and seals, together with
registration cards, as designated and furnished by the Director of the
Department of Motor Vehicles of the State. The registration cards shall
be numbered in chronological order as issued, with the registration
number of the license plates shown thereon. It shall be the duty of the
Police Department to attach such license plate to the frame of the
bicycle to, which issued. Such license plate shall remain attached
during the existence of such license. The Police Department shall also
keep a record of the date of issuance of each license, to whom the
license was issued, and the number thereof.
Clearly the people who wrote the law (and voted to implement it!) had never actually seen a bicycle. Would the license plate have been 2 or so inches wide? Placing such an object on a bike, which wasn’t designed to hold one is not just a hassle, it’s useless. Occasionally someone who isn’t thinking will ask why bikes aren’t required to have license plates, as they could help in identifying lawbreakers. They don’t stop to think that car plates are hard enough to read, a 2 inch one would be impossible.
That doesn’t even get into the massive bureaucracy of such a program, if it were actually enforced.
All persons engaged in the business of selling new or secondhand
bicycles are hereby required, within ten (10) days after each sale, to
report such sale to the Police Department. Such reports shall set forth a
list of all sales made by such dealers, which list shall include the
name and address of each person to whom sold, the kind of bicycle sold, a
plate attached thereto, if any.
It shall be the duty of every person who sells or transfers ownership of
any bicycle to report such sale or transfer by returning to the Police
Department the registration card…….
As I mentioned previously, the fees weren’t exactly a burden…
The license fee to be paid for each bicycle shall be One and no/100ths
($1.00) Dollar for each year, or portion thereof, from the date of
issuance to the expiration date of the license and shall be paid in
advance. Pursuant to the provisions of Section 4.1.06
of this chapter, such license may be transferred, and a fee in the
amount of twenty-five (25) cents shall be paid for the registration of
Somehow, the people writing the law thought that not only would these fees cover the cost of the bureaucracy….but enough would be left over to build new bike trails!
Revenues from license fees collected pursuant to the provisions of this
chapter shall be used to pay expenses incurred in support of the
provisions of this chapter, to reimburse retailers for services
rendered, to improve bicycle safety programs, and to establish bicycle
facilities, including bicycle paths and lanes, within the City.
The fine for not following the law was to be an onerous $5, which could pretty much be applicable to 95% of households in Clovis. Even if you don’t ride a bike, almost everyone has one (or five) in their garage.
of this Code for violations of the provisions of this Code, the Police
Department, or any of the members thereof, may impound and retain
possession of any bicycle operated in violation of any of the provisions
of this chapter and may retain possession of such bicycle until the
license provided for by this chapter is obtained by the owner of such
That is, if they didn’t like your face, the cops could say “no license plate, no bike” and leave you stranded. Did it ever happen? Probably not. But why leave it to chance?
* Sections 4.1.01 through 4.1.08,
codified from Ordinance No. 209, amended in their entirety by Section 1,
of the streets, alleys, or public highways of the City without first
obtaining from the Police Department a license therefor. (§ 1, Ord.
75-6, eff. March 20, 1975)
directed to issue, upon a written application, bicycle licenses which
shall be effective from the date of issuance to the expiration date
prescribed by the Director of the Department of Motor Vehicles of the
State. Such licenses, when issued, shall entitle the licensee to operate
such bicycle for which such license has been issued upon all the
streets, alleys, and public highways, exclusive of sidewalks, of the
City. (§ 1, Ord. 75-6, eff. March 20, 1975)
The City shall provide license plates and
seals, together with registration cards, as designated and furnished by
the Director of the Department of Motor Vehicles of the State. The
registration cards shall be numbered in chronological order as issued,
with the registration number of the license plates shown thereon. It
shall be the duty of the Police Department to attach such license plate
to the frame of the bicycle to, which issued. Such license plate shall
remain attached during the existence of such license. The Police
Department shall also keep a record of the date of issuance of each
license, to whom the license was issued, and the number thereof. (§ 1,
Ord. 75-6, eff. March 20, 1975)
All persons engaged in the business of buying
secondhand bicycles are hereby required, within ten (10) days after each
purchase, to report such purchase to the Police Department. Such
reports shall set forth the name and address of the person from whom
each bicycle was purchased, the description of each bicycle purchased,
the frame number thereof, and the number of the license plate found
new or secondhand bicycles are hereby required, within ten (10) days
after each sale, to report such sale to the Police Department. Such
reports shall set forth a list of all sales made by such dealers, which
list shall include the name and address of each person to whom sold, the
kind of bicycle sold, a description and the frame number thereof, and
the number of the license plate attached thereto, if any. (§ 1, Ord.
or transfers ownership of any bicycle to report such sale or transfer
by returning to the Police Department the registration card issued to
such person as the licensee thereof, together with the name and address
of the person to whom the bicycle was sold or transferred, and such
report shall be made within ten (10) days after the date of such sale or
transfer. It shall be the duty of the purchaser or transferee of such
bicycle to apply for a transfer of registration therefor within ten (10)
Whenever an owner of a bicycle licensed
pursuant to the provisions of this chapter or licensed pursuant to an
ordinance or resolution of a County or other city changes his address,
he shall, within ten (10) days, notify the Police Department of such
change of address. (§ 1, Ord. 75-6, eff. March 20, 1975)
wilfully or maliciously remove, destroy, mutilate, or alter the number
of any bicycle frame licensed pursuant to the provisions of this
chapter. It shall also be unlawful for any person to remove, destroy,
mutilate, or alter any license plate, seal, or registration card during
the time such license plate, seal, or registration card is operative.
prohibit the Police Department from stamping numbers on the frames of
bicycles on which no serial number can be found or on which such number
is illegible or insufficient for identification purposes. (§ 1, Ord.
The license fee to be paid for each bicycle
shall be One and no/100ths ($1.00) Dollar for each year, or portion
thereof, from the date of issuance to the expiration date of the license
such transfer. (§ 1, Ord. 75-6, eff. March 20, 1975)
Revenues from license fees collected pursuant
to the provisions of this chapter shall be used to pay expenses incurred
in support of the provisions of this chapter, to reimburse retailers
for services rendered, to improve bicycle safety programs, and to
establish bicycle facilities, including bicycle paths and lanes, within
the City. (§ 1, Ord. 75-6, eff. March 20, 1975)
Any person violating any provision of this
chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor; provided, however, the
punishment of any owner for a violation of Sections 4.1.02, 4.1.06, or 4.1.07 of this chapter shall be a fine of not to exceed Five and no/100ths ($5.00) Dollars. (§ 1, Ord. 75-6, eff. March 20, 1975)
bicycle. (§ 1, Ord. 75-6, eff. March 20, 1975)
Categories : UncategorizedTags : bike lawbike licensingbike registrationcity councilClovis
PREVIOUS POST Previous post: Should parking hold up trail development?
NEXT POST Next post: If light rail was built like roller coasters….