Lane splitting is fully legal in only one state, California, where motorcyclists can ride between rows of moving vehicles. Five other states — Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, and Utah — allow the narrower practice of lane filtering, which generally means passing between vehicles that are stopped or barely moving, under tight speed caps. Every other state prohibits the practice, either by naming it in statute or by enforcing general lane-use rules that forbid riding between lanes. So the short answer to where lane splitting is legal is: California for full splitting, and five more states for a restricted version with different rules in each.
California: The Only Full Lane Splitting State
California formalized its long-standing tolerance of lane splitting in 2016 with Vehicle Code Section 21658.1. The statute defines lane splitting as driving a two-wheeled motorcycle between rows of stopped or moving vehicles traveling in the same direction, on divided and undivided streets, roads, and highways.1California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 21658.1 California is the only legal-splitting state that doesn’t limit the practice to surface streets or low-speed roads.
The statute sets no numeric speed limit. It instead directs the California Highway Patrol to publish educational guidelines. The CHP’s current guidance recommends extreme caution and warns that injury risk rises with speed and with the speed differential between the rider and surrounding traffic, without specifying exact thresholds.2California Highway Patrol. California Motorcyclist Safety Program
States That Allow Lane Filtering
Five states permit a restricted version of the practice. The differences between them are large enough that a rider crossing state lines needs to know the specifics before filtering through traffic.
Arizona
Arizona’s law took effect in September 2022. A two-wheeled motorcycle may pass stopped vehicles going the same direction only on streets with a posted speed limit of 45 mph or less and at least two adjacent same-direction lanes. The motorcycle cannot exceed 15 mph while filtering, cannot use the shoulder, and cannot filter on freeways.3Town of Gilbert, Arizona. Arizona Lane Filtering Law for Motorcyclists Goes Into Effect
Utah
Utah’s law took effect in May 2019. Conditions are similar to Arizona’s: posted speed limit of 45 mph or less, two or more same-direction lanes, surrounding vehicles must be completely stopped, and the motorcycle is capped at 15 mph. Utah’s statute also allows filtering on freeway off-ramps but explicitly prohibits it on on-ramps.4Utah Legislature. Utah Code 41-6a-704
Montana
Montana’s 2021 law allows filtering when traffic is stopped or moving at 10 mph or less. The motorcycle cannot exceed 20 mph while overtaking, and lanes must be wide enough to permit a safe pass.5Montana State Legislature. Montana Code 61-8-392 – Lane Filtering for Motorcycles Montana doesn’t restrict filtering by road type or posted speed limit, relying instead on a general requirement for “reasonable and prudent operation.”
Colorado
Colorado’s law took effect on August 7, 2024. A two-wheeled motorcycle may pass another vehicle in the same lane only when traffic is at a complete stop, the lane is wide enough to pass safely, and the motorcycle travels at 15 mph or less.6Colorado State Patrol. Lane Filtering in Colorado Traffic in adjacent same-direction lanes must also be stopped.7Colorado General Assembly. SB24-079 – Motorcycle Lane Filtering and Passing That makes Colorado’s version among the most restrictive in the country.
Minnesota
Minnesota’s law, passed in 2024, took effect July 1, 2025. It is the most permissive after California’s. Riders may both filter past stopped vehicles and split past slow-moving ones, as long as the motorcycle doesn’t exceed 25 mph and stays within 15 mph of surrounding traffic speed. Traffic doesn’t have to be fully stopped. The law bars splitting and filtering in roundabouts (including the approach and exit), school zones, work zones where only a single travel lane is open, and freeway on-ramps where vehicles are queued.8Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 169.974
Restrictions Every Legal State Shares
Even in states that allow the practice, several limits apply across the board.
- Only two-wheeled motorcycles qualify. Trikes and three-wheeled motorcycles are excluded in every filtering state.
- Freeways are generally off-limits. Arizona and Utah ban filtering on freeways outright. Colorado’s full-stop requirement makes freeway filtering effectively impossible. Minnesota prohibits it on on-ramps. California is the only state where lane splitting on highways is legal.
- Every state includes a safety catch-all. An officer can cite a rider who stayed within the numeric limits if lane width, road conditions, or traffic patterns made the pass unsafe.
- Shoulder riding remains illegal everywhere, including in states that allow filtering between lanes.
What the Law Looks Like in the Other 44 States
The remaining 44 states prohibit lane splitting. Some ban it by name. New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington all have statutes stating that no person may operate a motorcycle between lanes of traffic or between adjacent rows of vehicles.9New York Public Law. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 125210Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 75 – Operating Motorcycles on Roadways Laned for Traffic11Washington State Legislature. Washington RCW 46.61.608 – Operating Motorcycles on Roadways Laned for Traffic Texas added a specific prohibition in 2023.
Other states don’t mention lane splitting by name but require every vehicle to travel entirely within a single lane and change lanes only when safe. Arkansas and North Carolina work this way. Some riders read the absence of a named prohibition as a gray area, but officers in these states routinely cite motorcyclists for unsafe lane changes, improper passing, or reckless driving when they observe lane splitting. If a state hasn’t passed a specific filtering or splitting law, assume the practice is illegal.
Penalties and Civil Liability
Illegal lane splitting is usually a traffic infraction, not a criminal offense. Fines generally fall somewhere between $100 and $350, depending on the specific citation and any local surcharges, and the violation typically adds two or three points to the rider’s license. Enough points can lead to insurance increases or, combined with other violations, a suspension.
The financial exposure grows if lane splitting contributes to a crash. In comparative negligence states, a rider who was splitting illegally when a collision occurred will almost certainly be assigned a share of fault. Many states reduce the injured party’s compensation by their percentage of fault, and some bar recovery entirely once a rider’s fault crosses a threshold, often 50% or 51%. A citation for illegal splitting gives the other driver’s insurance company strong evidence to argue the rider caused or contributed to the crash, which can shrink or wipe out a personal injury claim even when the other driver also made a mistake.
Where the Law Is Headed
The direction of change over the past several years has been toward allowing lane filtering with restrictions, not toward broader bans. California stood alone for decades. Utah followed in 2019, Montana in 2021, Arizona in 2022, Colorado in 2024, and Minnesota in 2025. Other states have introduced filtering bills that haven’t yet passed, including Missouri, where 2026 legislation would allow filtering while expressly refusing to authorize splitting through moving traffic. Until a state actually enacts a specific law, riding between lanes there remains a citable offense no matter how congested traffic gets.