The One Line Combined Locks Added to Kimberly's E-Bike Rules Covers Its Own Trails

"All scooters are prohibited on unpaved trails."

That sentence sits in Section 222-2 of the Combined Locks ordinance on bicycles and electric devices. The Village Board introduced the ordinance on July 21, 2026, and adopted it on August 18. It's also the only sentence in the ordinance the village wrote for itself. The Times-Villager reported that the board reviewed Kimberly's adopted e-bike and scooter ordinance and voted to use the same language, with one addition: electric scooters can't travel on unpaved trails.

That added line covers ground Kimberly's version doesn't, because the trails that tie the Combined Locks parks together are unpaved.

Where the unpaved trails actually are

The village's 2040 Comprehensive Plan calls the trails linking Lindberg Park on the east side to Memorial Park, and on south to the CE Trail, "off-road unpaved trails." The CE Trail is the paved piece. If you ride from Lindberg Park to the county trail, here's how the surfaces line up:

1. Lindberg Park to Memorial Park. This is an unpaved, off-road connector, so the scooter rule applies.
2. Memorial Park and the Don Fries Recreation Area. The village's 2026–2030 Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan describes a trail system here that winds through woodlands and along Garners Creek before reaching the CE Trail. The 2040 plan lists "lighted pathways" and wooded hiking trails in Memorial Park, but it doesn't give the surface of each individual path.
3. South to the CE Trail. The connector is unpaved until it meets the asphalt along East College Avenue. That stretch includes a pedestrian underpass near Buchanan Road that runs beneath County Trunk Highway CE.
4. West side of County Trunk Highway HH. A separate paved off-road trail runs along the west side of CTH HH down to the CE Trail.

All together, the recreation plan counts about four miles of trails in the village's park and off-road system, used for walking, biking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. On the most direct route from Lindberg Park to the CE Trail, the scooter ban covers every stretch until the asphalt. Whether a scooter can go on the paved trails depends on the ordinance's bike-lane exception and, on the CE Trail, on county rules covered below.

The ordinance's definitions explain why the rule names scooters specifically. An electric scooter there is a device under 100 pounds with handlebars, powered only by its motor and human power, with a top speed of no more than 20 miles per hour on level pavement under motor power alone. The ordinance doesn't limit e-bikes on unpaved trails the same way.

What changed between the July draft and the August vote

Before the ordinance passed, WBAY reported in July that the village had posted proposals on Facebook and was asking for comments. The proposals included helmets for riders under 18, a maximum speed, and limits on sidewalk riding. Some of that made it into the final version, and some changed.

The adopted helmet rule names the ANSI or Snell Memorial Foundation impact standards. The two-year drop from the draft's helmet age means 16- and 17-year-olds aren't covered by the village rule.

The rules that apply anywhere in the village

The rest of Chapter 222 is the language Combined Locks shares with Kimberly. It treats e-bikes, motor bicycles, and electric scooters as bicycles, and it groups them with Segway-style devices as "Personal Motorized Mobility Devices." Here's what that means in practice:

• Sidewalks. The text reads: "No bicycles or Personal Motorized Mobility Devices are permitted on sidewalks and trails except when there is no shared use bike lane, or the use of said bike lane is not safe due to traffic and roadway conditions." Where sidewalk riding is allowed, riders keep to 5 mph or less, yield to pedestrians, and give an audible warning when coming up behind someone. The sentence names trails along with sidewalks, but the ordinance doesn't list specific trails or say how the bike-lane exception works on an off-road path.
• Pets. "The transportation of pets on such devices is prohibited." That covers a dog in a bike basket. Dogs on a leash can still walk the CE Trail under the county's rules.
• One rider. A second person can ride only when the bike or device has its own seat and handlebars for them.
• E-bike classes. The ordinance defines Class 1, 2, and 3 e-bikes as having motors of 750 watts or less. Classes 1 and 2 stop assisting at 20 mph, and Class 3 at 28 mph. It also cites state law, Wis. Stat. §346.806(4), which bars anyone under 16 from riding a Class 3. An e-bike modified to go faster than 28 mph, or fitted with a motor over 750 watts, may be classified as an electric motorcycle, which requires a Class M license on public roads.

The ordinance spells out its penalties. A first violation by a rider 16 or older can bring a uniform traffic citation of $124, and later violations $248. For riders under 16, the amounts are $62 and $124, issued with a special bicycle violation warning notice. Every tier includes a warning letter that a parent or guardian signs and returns to law enforcement.

At the CE Trail, village rules give way to county rules

Once a rider comes out of the Garners Creek woods onto the asphalt, they're on land the village doesn't manage. Outagamie County Parks maintains the CE Trail. The county describes it as a 5.8-mile paved, three-season path from Appleton to Kaukauna on the north side of County Highway CE. The county's posted rule is short: "Motorized vehicles are prohibited." The village's recreation plan gives a longer figure of about 9 miles for the same trail.

The county page doesn't say whether e-bikes or electric scooters count as "motorized vehicles," and it doesn't post a speed limit. The county's 2027–2031 outdoor recreation plan, adopted June 17, 2026, proposes exploring a countywide micromobility policy but doesn't set one.

State trails show what a more specific rule looks like. The Wisconsin DNR lists which of its bicycle trails allow Class 1 and Class 3 e-bikes and sets a 15-mph limit on them. The Wisconsin Bike Fed notes that local agencies decide e-bike access on local trails. For the CE Trail, that local agency is the county, and so far the county hasn't addressed e-bikes. Right now, a Combined Locks rider is covered by a detailed village ordinance on the connectors and by a one-line county rule on the CE Trail.

The village plans to build more of the connections along this trail. Its recreation plan describes a long-term trail on the south side of County Trunk Highway CE that would link the Coonen and Locks Grand neighborhoods to the CE underpass and to future trails planned by the Town of Buchanan. No construction schedule has been set.

October evenings and the lamp rule

Shorter days bring the lighting section into play more often. The ordinance defines "hours of darkness" as half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise, plus any other time when a person or vehicle can't be clearly seen at 500 feet. During those hours, a bike or device needs a white front lamp visible from at least 500 feet, either mounted or worn by the rider. It also needs a rear red reflector or reflective tape with at least two square inches of surface. A steady or flashing red rear light visible from 500 feet can take the reflector's place.

One date on the fall calendar falls in that window. FOX 11 lists Combined Locks trick-or-treating for Saturday, October 31, from 5 to 7 p.m., and the lamp rule applies to anyone biking home after dusk. The CE Trail also has a seasonal limit. Outagamie County Parks doesn't plow it. Snow is cleared only on sections covered by agreements with the City of Kaukauna and the Town of Buchanan. If you're driving to a trailhead, the county lists a parking lot at Debruin Road, County Road HH, and East College Avenue, County Road CE, in Kaukauna, reached from Green Way Drive.

When we help clients get settled in Combined Locks, the questions often go past the house to how they'll get from home to Memorial Park and on to the CE Trail. If you'd like a local take on how the trail network connects the neighborhoods you're considering, Kelly Davies Homes is happy to talk it through with you. Contact Us whenever you're ready.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.