Find an electric scooter accident lawyer in Dallas: Bird, Lime and city rules

Bird and Lime hold Dallas's shared scooter permits for 2026-2027. Their app agreements set short deadlines. Lime wants a report within 2 hours, or as soon as you can if hurt. Bird requires a police report within 24 hours when someone is hurt. You generally have 2 years to sue.

Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (31)

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Road map of downtown Dallas showing the area where bikes and scooters cannot be ridden on sidewalks
Bird requires a police report within 24 hours when someone is hurt. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

What are the scooter rules in Dallas?

Dallas program ruleWhy it matters after a crash
No shared scooters on roads above 35 mphState law also limits scooters to streets posted 35 mph or less
No riding before 5 a.m. or after 9 p.m.An insurer may raise the time of your ride
20 mph top speedA scooter that ran faster may point to a device problem
Each unit must say sidewalk riding is prohibitedExpect the company to cite that label
Monthly collision reports to the cityShows the city gets crash data from operators

Here is where it gets confusing. Texas law allows scooters on sidewalks and bike paths unless a place bans it. Dallas's shared program label says sidewalk riding is prohibited, and a city map marks a downtown zone where bikes and scooters cannot be ridden on sidewalks. If you own your scooter, the program rules may not apply to you, but the downtown map still does.

Parks are stricter. A Park and Recreation notice says motorized vehicles, naming scooters and e-bikes, are banned on parks and trails under City Code section 32-8. If you crashed on a trail, expect that to come up.

What do Bird and Lime make you agree to in Dallas?

More than most riders notice. These are private contracts, and you tapped through them when you unlocked the scooter.

  • Arbitration. Lime's agreement requires final and binding arbitration. Bird lets you opt out, but the notice must go out within 30 days of first use.
  • A release. Bird's agreement excludes gross negligence or willful misconduct from what it releases. It also waives claims against cities.
  • A helmet clause. Lime's agreement says riders without a helmet who are injured waive claims.
  • Your own insurance first. Lime says to use your own motor vehicle insurance as primary.

Do not assume these clauses end your case. Texas has fair notice rules for advance releases, and a judge applies them to each contract. Take a screenshot of the agreement in the app today, before you lose access.

What should I do right after a scooter crash in Dallas?

  1. Call 911 if anyone is hurt, and ask for a report. Bird's contract calls for a police report within 24 hours when someone is hurt.
  2. Report it in the app. Lime asks within 2 hours, or as soon as you can if you are hurt.
  3. Photograph the scooter's ID number, the road, and any crack or hole. In one Austin study, half of injured riders blamed a surface condition.
  4. See a doctor. Head injuries are common, and symptoms can show up later.
  5. Screenshot your ride history, your start time and the charge on your card.
  6. Buy the crash report from Dallas Police for $6.

How often are people hurt on scooters in Dallas?

Dallas does not publish a simple annual count that we could find. Its Vision Zero report lists 1 death in 2025 in an other category that includes motor scooters. Operators send the city monthly collision reports, but those were not public on the pages we checked. Nationally, the CPSC counted about 380,000 emergency visits from 2017 through 2024. It counted 206 deaths.

Who pays after an e-scooter accident in Dallas?

If this caused itWho may payWatch for
A car hit youThe driver's policy, at least $30,000 per person in TexasYour own uninsured coverage may help too
The scooter failedBird or LimeArbitration and release clauses
A city street defectCity of DallasWritten notice within six months, sent to Risk Management
Another rider or pedestrianThat person's insurance, if anyShared fault rule

Lime's agreement says it may provide some coverage in certain locations. Ask in writing whether any applies in Dallas. We could not confirm that from public pages.

Questions

Can I ride a Bird or Lime on the sidewalk in Dallas?

Each unit must carry a label saying sidewalk riding is prohibited, and a downtown zone bans it on a city map.

Can I sue Lime or Bird after a Dallas crash?

Sometimes, but their agreements have arbitration and release clauses.

How long do I have after a scooter crash in Dallas?

Generally 2 years to sue. A city claim needs notice within six months.

Can I ride a scooter on a Dallas park trail?

A city notice says motorized vehicles are banned on parks and trails.

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Sources (31)

  1. City of Dallas, Shared Dockless Vehicle Program, checked 2026-11-08. “Bird (silver and blue vehicles) and Lime (green and white vehicles)”
  2. Lime User Agreement, checked 2026-11-09. “to us within two (2) hours of the accident or incident via the Lime App”
  3. Bird Rental Agreement, checked 2026-11-09. “Rider shall file a report with the local police department within 24 hours.”
  4. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  5. Bird Rental Agreement, checked 2026-11-09. “The notice must be sent within 30 days of your first use of the Service”
  6. City of Dallas, Shared Dockless Vehicle Program Rules, checked 2026-11-08. “Users may not ride shared dockless vehicles on roads with speed limits greater than 35 miles per hour”
  7. Dallas City Charter, Chapter XXIII, Section 1, checked 2026-11-08. “within six months after the injury was received”
  8. City of Dallas, Shared Dockless Vehicle Program Rules, checked 2026-11-08. “Shared dockless vehicles may not be ridden before 5:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m.”
  9. Texas Transportation Code 551.352, checked 2026-11-09. “may be operated only on a street or highway for which the posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less”
  10. City of Dallas, Shared Dockless Vehicle Program Rules, checked 2026-11-08. “Shared dockless vehicles may not exceed 20 miles per hour”
  11. City of Dallas, Shared Dockless Vehicle Program Rules, checked 2026-11-08. “Riding on Sidewalks is Prohibited”
  12. City of Dallas, Shared Dockless Vehicle Program Rules, checked 2026-11-08. “all operators shall provide a collision history report including the number, severity, location and time of crash to program staff”
  13. Texas Transportation Code 551.352, checked 2026-11-09. “A person may operate a motor-assisted scooter on a path set aside for the exclusive operation of bicycles or on a sidewalk.”
  14. City of Dallas, Sidewalk Riding Prohibition Area map, checked 2026-11-08. “Bicycles and Scooterscannot be ridden on sidewalkswithin this boundary”
  15. Dallas Park and Recreation, Public Notice, checked 2026-11-09. “the use of any motorized vehicles on parks and trails is prohibited per City of Dallas Code Section 32-8”
  16. Lime User Agreement, checked 2026-11-09. “exclusively through final and binding arbitration instead of filing a lawsuit in court”
  17. Bird Rental Agreement, checked 2026-11-09. “except for Claims based on Released Persons' gross negligence or willful misconduct”
  18. Bird Rental Agreement, checked 2026-11-09. “RIDER EXPRESSLY WAIVES ALL CLAIMS AGAINST CITY FOR HARM CAUSED BY CITY NEGLIGENCE OR DANGEROUS CONDITIONS ON PUBLIC PROPERTY.”
  19. Lime User Agreement, checked 2026-11-09. “If you ride without a helmet and are injured as a result, you waive any and all claims against the Released Parties”
  20. Lime User Agreement, checked 2026-11-09. “You agree to use your own motor vehicle insurance as the primary insurance.”
  21. Dresser Industries v. Page Petroleum (Tex. 1993), checked 2026-11-09. “we hold that the fair notice requirements of conspicuousness and the express negligence doctrine apply to both indemnity agreements and to releases in the circumstances before us”
  22. CDC, checked 2026-11-09. “Half of those we spoke to said a surface condition like a pot hole or crack in the street may have contributed to their injury.”
  23. Dallas Police, Types of Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “There is a $6.00 fee for the accident report if requested through the mail or if picked up in person.”
  24. City of Dallas, Vision Zero 2025 Annual Progress Report, checked 2026-11-08. “Other (Motor Scooters, etc.) 1 2 1 3 1”
  25. CPSC, checked 2026-11-09. “E-Scooters: There were an estimated total of 380,000 ED visits from 2017 through 2024”
  26. CPSC, checked 2026-11-09. “CPSC staff is aware of 206 fatalities from 2017 through 2024.”
  27. Texas Transportation Code 601.072, checked 2026-11-09. “$30,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person in one collision”
  28. Texas Insurance Code 1952.101, checked 2026-11-09. “protects insureds who are legally entitled to recover from owners or operators of uninsured or underinsured motor vehicles”
  29. City of Dallas, Notice of Claim Form, checked 2026-11-08. “OFFICE OF RISK MANAGEMENT 1500 MARILLA 6A SOUTH DALLAS, TEXAS 75201 214-671-9458”
  30. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001, checked 2026-11-08. “a claimant may not recover damages if his percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent”
  31. Lime User Agreement, checked 2026-11-09. “we may provide personal accident coverage and/or rider liability coverage”

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