Lane Splitting Laws by State 2026: Legal in 1, Filtering 4
Lane splitting is legal only in California; Minnesota allows it with limits and four states allow filtering in stopped traffic. All states, sourced.
Legal: California. With conditions: Minnesota. Filtering only: Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Utah. Banned in 26 states; not addressed in 15.
| Status | States |
|---|---|
| Lane splitting legal | California |
| Legal with conditions | Minnesota |
| Filtering only (stopped or slow traffic) | Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Utah |
| Banned in law | 26 states |
| Not addressed in law | 15 states |
Lane splitting, riding a motorcycle between lanes of moving traffic, is legal only in California; Minnesota allows it under speed conditions, and Arizona, Colorado, Montana and Utah allow only lane filtering in stopped or slow traffic. 26 states ban riding between lanes outright, and in 15 more the law says nothing, which is not a permission to do it.
Splitting vs filtering
Lane splitting means riding between lanes while traffic is moving. Lane filtering means moving between stopped or very slow vehicles, typically at lights. The four filtering states limit it to that situation, under speed limits set in each statute.
Lane splitting laws by state
The table follows the American Motorcyclist Association’s state laws database and its lane splitting summary; the status column is our reading of the statute text the AMA quotes for each state.
| State | Status | Detail / statute | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not legal | Alabama Code § 32-5A-242 | AMA |
| Alaska | Not legal | Alaska Administrative Code Section 02.427 | AMA |
| Arizona | Filtering only | Arizona Revised Statutes § 28-903 | AMA · AMA |
| Arkansas | Not addressed in law | Arkansas Code § 27-51-302 | AMA |
| California | Legal | California Vehicle Code § 21658 - 21658.1 | AMA · AMA |
| Colorado | Filtering only | Colorado Revised Statutes § 42-4-1503 | AMA · AMA |
| Connecticut | Not legal | Connecticut Revised Statutes § 14-289b | AMA |
| Delaware | Not addressed in law | 21 Delaware Code § 4122 | AMA |
| District of Columbia | Not verified | — | check the state DMV |
| Florida | Not legal | Florida Statute § 316.209 | AMA |
| Georgia | Not legal | Georgia Code § 40-6-312 | AMA |
| Hawaii | Not legal | Hawaii Revised Statutes Section 291c-153 | AMA |
| Idaho | Not addressed in law | Idaho Revised Statutes § 49-637 | AMA |
| Illinois | Not verified | — | check the state DMV |
| Indiana | Not addressed in law | Indiana Code § 9-24-8.5-3 | AMA |
| Iowa | Not legal | Iowa Code Section 321.275 | AMA |
| Kansas | Not legal | Kansas Revised Statutes § 8-1595 | AMA |
| Kentucky | Not addressed in law | Kentucky Revised Statutes § 189.340 | AMA |
| Louisiana | Not legal | Louisiana Revised Statutes 32 | AMA |
| Maine | Not legal | 29-A M.R.S. §2062 | legislature.maine.gov |
| Maryland | Not legal | Maryland Revised Statutes § 21-1303. Every motorcycle is entitled to the full use of a lane, and a motor vehicle may not | AMA |
| Massachusetts | Not verified | — | check the state DMV |
| Michigan | Not addressed in law | Michigan Compiled Laws Section 257.660 | AMA |
| Minnesota | Legal with conditions | Minnesota Revised Statutes Section 169.974 | AMA · AMA |
| Mississippi | Not addressed in law | Mississippi Code Annotated § 63-3-603 | AMA |
| Missouri | Not addressed in law | Missouri Revised Statutes § 304.015 | AMA |
| Montana | Filtering only | Montana Code Annotated § 61-8-392 | AMA · AMA |
| Nebraska | Not legal | Nebraska Revised Statutes § 60-6,308 | AMA |
| Nevada | Not legal | Nevada Revised Statutes § 486.351 | AMA |
| New Hampshire | Not legal | New Hampshire Revised Statutes § 265 | AMA |
| New Jersey | Not addressed in law | New Jersey Revised Statutes § 39 | AMA |
| New Mexico | Not addressed in law | New Mexico Statutes Annotated § 66-7-308 | AMA |
| New York | Not legal | New York Consolidated Laws § 7-34A-1252 | AMA |
| North Carolina | Not addressed in law | North Carolina General Statutes § 20-146 | AMA |
| North Dakota | Not legal | North Dakota Century Code § 39-10.2-03 | AMA |
| Ohio | Not addressed in law | Ohio Revised Code § 4511.55 | AMA |
| Oklahoma | Not legal | Oklahoma Statutes § 47-11-1103 | AMA |
| Oregon | Not legal | Oregon Revised Statutes § 814.240 | AMA |
| Pennsylvania | Not legal | Pennsylvania Consolidated Codes § 3523 | AMA |
| Rhode Island | Not addressed in law | Rhode Island General Laws § 31-15-11 | AMA |
| South Carolina | Not legal | South Carolina Code of Laws § 56-5-3640 | AMA |
| South Dakota | Not legal | South Dakota Codified Laws § 32-20-9.2 | AMA |
| Tennessee | Not legal | Tennessee Code Annotated § 55-8-182 | AMA |
| Texas | Not legal | Texas Transportation Code § 545.0605 | AMA |
| Utah | Filtering only | Utah Code § 41-6a-704 | AMA · AMA |
| Vermont | Not legal | Vermont Statutes Annotated § 23-13-1115 | AMA |
| Virginia | Not verified | — | check the state DMV |
| Washington | Not legal | Revised Code of Washington § 46.61.608 | AMA |
| West Virginia | Not addressed in law | West Virginia Code § 17C-7-9 | AMA |
| Wisconsin | Not addressed in law | Wisconsin Statutes and Annotations § 346.595 | AMA |
| Wyoming | Not legal | Wyoming Statutes Annotated § 31-5-115 | AMA |
If you hire a motorcycle in the US
Apply the rule of the state you are in, not California’s. Outside the six states above, stay in your lane. For rules abroad, see lane splitting laws by country and the motorcycle helmet laws worldwide.
Sources
- American Motorcyclist Association, State laws database: lane splitting.
- American Motorcyclist Association, Lane splitting and lane filtering.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Only in California. Minnesota allows it under speed conditions, and Arizona, Colorado, Montana and Utah allow lane filtering in stopped or slow traffic.
Splitting is riding between lanes of moving traffic; filtering is moving between stopped or very slow vehicles, usually at lights.
Not necessarily. A law that is silent is not a permission, so stay in your lane outside the six states listed.