Orange County Announces E-Bike and E-Moto Buyback With Up to $1,000 in Gift Cards

ANAHEIM, California – August 21, 2026: Orange County is taking an unusual approach to e-bike and e-moto safety: offering people hundreds of dollars in gift cards to turn in unwanted electric bikes, electric motorcycles, pocket bikes and e-scooters. Riders can review my California 2026 e-bike law guide for the important differences between legal Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 e-bikes and vehicles that may fall outside California’s e-bike definition.

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced August 20 that its first E-Bike and E-Moto Buy Back Program will take place Sunday, September 13, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Depending on what type of vehicle is surrendered, participants may receive $200 to $1,000 in gift cards.

The program comes amid growing scrutiny of high-powered electric motorcycles and youth crashes in Orange County. I also recently covered the criminal cases involving parents and youth e-motos in Orange County, which help explain why local officials have been putting more attention on these vehicles.

You can follow the latest electric bike news and safety updates as this program and other California e-bike policies develop.

📰 How This Story Was Verified

This report is based on available official documents, agency statements, meeting records, court filings, or other primary sources, with reliable reporting used for additional context. I clearly distinguish proposals from rules that have been finally approved or taken effect.

For this story, I reviewed the Orange County District Attorney’s August 20 announcement along with independent local reporting and current California guidance on e-bike classifications.

Current Status: Buyback Announced for September 13

The buyback has been officially announced and scheduled, but it has not happened yet. It is not a new e-bike law, ban or mandatory surrender program. Participation is voluntary.

The event is scheduled for Sunday, September 13, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Angel Stadium, 2000 E. Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, CA 92806. The District Attorney’s Office says participants should enter from Orangewood Avenue.

Independent local reporting says the program is not limited to Orange County residents.

How Much Will Orange County Pay for an E-Bike or E-Moto?

The District Attorney’s Office published the following trade-in values:

Vehicle	Gift Card Amount
Pocket bike or homemade miniature bike	$200
Class 1 e-bike	$300
Class 2 e-bike	$400
Class 3 e-bike	$600
E-motorcycle	$1,000

Gift cards will be provided from Target, Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods. Law enforcement at the event will determine the vehicle classification.

The DA’s office also says e-scooters will be accepted. However, its published trade-in-value chart does not list a separate dollar amount for e-scooters, so I would not assume what an e-scooter will receive before the event.

Gift card quantities are limited and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

First 75 Participants Also Get Angels Tickets

The first 75 people who surrender an eligible e-bike, e-moto, pocket bike or e-scooter will receive two tickets to a Los Angeles Angels baseball game, according to the DA’s office.

The September 13 event is also expected to include free giveaways and e-bike safety information from law enforcement, healthcare organizations and community partners.

Working and Non-Working Vehicles Will Be Accepted

According to the official announcement, working and non-working vehicles can be surrendered, vehicles can be turned in anonymously, and no questions will be asked. Store-bought pocket bikes are eligible, along with homemade miniature bikes with electric or gas motors.

The program is patterned after law-enforcement gun buyback events, although electric bikes and electric motorcycles present a different set of public-safety issues. The gift cards are being funded with asset forfeiture funds, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Why Is Orange County Buying Back E-Bikes and E-Motos?

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer has made e-bike and e-motorcycle enforcement a larger part of his office’s safety efforts in 2026.

The District Attorney’s Office says injuries involving e-bikes and e-motorcycles have increased 430% over the past four years in Southern California. It also says these vehicles have become the leading reason Orange County children are admitted to emergency rooms.

Those figures are claims from the District Attorney’s Office. The August 20 buyback announcement does not provide the full underlying regional dataset, so I am attributing the numbers rather than presenting them as independently verified statistics.

The buyback is only one part of Orange County’s broader strategy. In May, Spitzer created a specialized unit called RIDE SAFELY, short for Smart Accountability for E-Bikes and E-Motos and Law Enforcement for Youth. The unit reviews potential criminal cases involving juveniles, adults and parents who knowingly allow children to illegally operate certain electric motorcycles and other vehicles.

Legal E-Bikes and High-Powered E-Motos Are Not the Same Thing

This distinction matters. A legal Class 1, Class 2 or Class 3 electric bike is not automatically the same vehicle as a high-powered electric motorcycle that happens to look somewhat like an e-bike.

California uses specific definitions involving factors such as motor power, assisted speed, pedals and how propulsion works. A vehicle that falls outside those requirements may be regulated as a different type of motor vehicle and may require licensing, registration, insurance or other equipment.

The September buyback reflects that difference too. Orange County is offering $300 for a Class 1 e-bike, for example, compared with $1,000 for an e-motorcycle.

Is This Really the First E-Bike Buyback in the Country?

Orange County is describing this as its first E-Bike and E-Moto Buy Back Program. An Orange County District Attorney spokesperson also told local media that it is believed to be the first known buyback of its type in the country involving e-bikes and e-motorcycles.

There is an important qualification. New York City previously created an e-bike trade-in program for eligible food-delivery workers. That program was designed primarily to replace unsafe or uncertified e-bikes and non-street-legal mopeds with certified e-bikes and batteries.

Orange County’s program is different because it offers retailer gift cards for surrendered vehicles rather than replacing an old device with another e-bike, and participation is not limited to delivery workers. I would therefore describe this as what the DA’s office says is the first known gift-card buyback of its kind for e-bikes and e-motorcycles, rather than claiming that no government has ever operated an e-bike trade-in program.

What Owners Should Know Before September 13

Anyone considering participating should keep several details in mind. The amount you receive depends on how law enforcement classifies the vehicle. Gift cards are limited and available first come, first served. The published list also does not specify an exact e-scooter value even though e-scooters are eligible.

Owners of functioning bikes may want to compare the offered gift-card amount with the bike’s current resale value before surrendering it. Owners should also make sure the vehicle is theirs to surrender. The “no questions asked” language does not change normal ownership rights.

My Take

The part of this program I find most interesting is that Orange County is putting ordinary Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 e-bikes into the same buyback event as pocket bikes and high-powered electric motorcycles, while offering very different payments for each category.

That could draw attention to something families need to understand better: not every electric two-wheeler is legally an e-bike.

At the same time, a buyback program by itself cannot tell us whether injuries will decline. Its impact will depend on how many vehicles are actually surrendered, what kinds of vehicles people turn in, and what Orange County does alongside the program with rider education, retailer compliance and enforcement.

For now, the practical takeaway is simple: Orange County has scheduled the program for September 13 at Angel Stadium, with payouts ranging from $200 for pocket bikes and homemade miniature bikes to $1,000 for e-motorcycles.

Sources

• Orange County District Attorney’s Office – August 20, 2026 E-Bike and E-Moto Buy Back Program announcement
• CBS Los Angeles – Orange County e-bike and e-motorcycle buyback coverage
• California Highway Patrol – Electric Bicycles and Other Devices guidance
• New York City Department of Transportation – E-Bike Trade-In Program