State by state overview of motorcycle and bike helmet laws
Alabama
Requires that all motorcycle riders wear a helmet at all times when riding, however only bicycle riders 15-years of age and younger are required to wear a bike helmet.
Alaska
Motorcycle riders and bicycle enthusiasts have it easy here. There are currently no state regulations for wearing a motorcycle helmet when riding if you're over the age of 17 and bike helmets are not required.
Arizona
Has helmet laws in place that are very similar to Alaska. Only motorcycle riders 17 and younger are required by law to sport a helmet when riding and there is no law defining that bike helmets must be worn when riding.
Arkansas
Requires that motorcycle riders age 20 and younger wear a helmet when riding and people over the age of 20 and anyone riding a bicycle are not required to wear a helmet.
California
Mandates that all motorcycle riders wear a helmet no matter what the age of the rider. Bicycle riders under the age of 17 are required to wear a helmet when riding.
Colorado
Motorcycle riders over the age of 17 are not required to wear a helmet and anyone 17 and younger on a motorcycle (including passengers) is required to have a helmet on when riding. There is no law pertaining to the wearing a bike helmet for any age.
Connecticut
Motorcycle riders over the age of 17 are not required to wear a helmet when riding. Under the age of 17 needs to be sporting a helmet when riding or they will run the risk of a ticket. Bicycle riders 15 and younger are required by law to wear a helmet.
Delaware
Does not require anyone over the age of 18 to wear a helmet when biking or riding a motorcycle. Motorcycle riders under the age of 18 and bicycle riders under the age of 17 are required to wear bike helmets when operating a motorcycle or bicycle.
District of Columbia
Has easy requirements to follow for wearing a helmet. If you're riding a motorcycle, no matter what your age, you must be wearing a helmet. Bicycle helmets are only required by law for riders age 15-years old and younger.
Florida
There are no motorcycle helmet requirements in Florida for riders under 20 years of age, however all bicyclists under the age of 15 are required to be sporting a bike helmet when riding.
Georgia
If you're going to ride a motorcycle in Georgia, you need to adhere to state law and wear a motorcycle helmet at all times when riding. Bicycle helmets are only required by riders age 15 and under.
Hawaii - Has no motorcycle helmet statues except for riders and passengers 17 and under. Bicycle riders under the age of 15 are required to wear bike helmets.
Idaho
This state doesn't require motorcyclists over the age of 17 to wear a helmet and bicycle riders are not required by law to sport a helmet when riding no matter what their age.
Illinois
If you live in Illinois, there are state requirements for wearing a helmet when riding a motorcycle or bicycle, no matter what your age. But let common sense apply here.
Indiana
Has no requirements for motorcycle riders over the age of 17 to wear helmets and there are no laws in place governing bicycle helmets.
Iowa
This state has no age requirements for wearing a motorcycle or bicycle helmet when riding.
Kansas
You need to wear a motorcycle helmet if you're riding and under the age of 17. There are no bike helmet requirements.
Kentucky
This state only requires helmets if riding a motorcycle and you're under the age of 20 as either a driver or passenger. There are no requirements for wearing a bike helmet in Kentucky.
Louisiana
Does require that a helmet be worn at all times when operating a motorcycle. Children 11 and younger must wear a bicycle helmet when riding.
Maine
Does not require motorcycle helmets to be worn by any driver over the age of 17. Bike helmets must be worn by kids 15 and younger.
Maryland
Does require that all riders of motorcycles wear a helmet. Bike helmets are required by all riders 15 and younger.
Massachusetts
Requires wearing a motorcycle helmet at all times and bike helmets are required for children ages 1-16-years of age. Children under the age of 1 year old are prohibited from being on a bicycle.
Michigan
This state requires that all motorcyclists wear a helmet when operating their vehicles, however there are no requirements for bike helmets for riders of any age.
Minnesota
Only requires that motorcyclists under the age of 17 wear a helmet when riding. There are no requirements for wearing a bike helmet.
Mississippi
Requires that a motorcycle helmet be worn by all riders regardless of age - there are no requirements for wearing a bicycle helmet.
Missouri
If you live here you need to wear your motorcycle helmet at all times when riding, there are no requirements to wear a bike helmet when cycling.
Montana
Doesn't require that motorcycle riders over the age of 17 wear a helmet when riding and there are no provisions in place that require riders to wear a bike helmet.
Nebraska
Motorcyclists of all ages must wear a helmet when riding, however there are no state laws for wearing a bike helmet when cycling.
Nevada
A motorcycle helmet must be worn when riding, there are no statutes that require a bike helmet be worn when riding a bicycle.
New Hampshire
This state has no helmet law in place for motorcyclists however, bike riders 15 and younger are required to wear a bike helmet at all times when riding.
New Jersey
Requires that all motorcycle riders wear a helmet when riding on their motorcycles as either a driver or passenger. Bike riders must wear a bike helmet if under the age of 16.
New Mexico
Does not require motorcycle or bicycle helmets for any riders over the age of 17.
New York
If you ride a motorcycle in New York, the law requires you wear a helmet. Bike helmets are required on all children from the ages of 1 through 13 years of age. Children under the age of 1 are prohibited from being on a bike.
North Carolina
Requires that all motorcycle riders wear a helmet at all times when riding. Bike helmets are only required by children 15 and younger.
North Dakota
No motorcycle helmet is required and there is currently no law in place requiring individuals of any age to sport a bike helmet when riding.
Ohio
Has no helmet law for motorcyclists and only kids under the age of 17 must wear a bike helmet when riding.
Oklahoma
Does not require anyone over the age of 17 to wear a motorcycle helmet and there is currently no bike helmet law in place.
Oregon
Helmets are required by all motorcycle riders regardless of age, there is no law in place regarding bike helmets.
Pennsylvania
No helmet is required for motorcycle riders over the age of 20 and only children 11 and under are required to wear bike helmets when riding.
Rhode Island
There is currently no helmet required by motorcycle riders over the age of 20 and only kids 15 and younger are required to wear a bike helmet when riding.
South Carolina
Does not require motorcycle riders over the age of 20 to wear a helmet and there is currently no law in place regarding wearing a bike helmet.
South Dakota
Motorcycle riders over the age of 17 do not have to wear a helmet when riding, there are no laws for wearing a bike helmet at any age.
Tennessee
All motorcycle riders must wear a helmet regardless of age and all bike riders younger than 15 are required to wear a helmet when riding.
Texas
There are no requirements for any rider of a motorcycle over the age of 20 to wear a helmet when riding and there is no bike helmet law requirements for kids of any age.
Utah
Riders of motorcycles over the age of 17 are not required to wear a helmet when riding. Bike helmets are currently not a requirement.
Vermont
All riders of motorcycles regardless of age are required to wear a helmet. There is no law for bike helmets currently.
Virginia
In Virginia, only motorcycle helmets are required by law, bike helmets are not required by individuals of any age.
Washington
Washington requires that motorcycle operators and passengers of all ages wear helmets when riding, there is no law in place regarding the wearing of bike helmets.
West Virginia
Motorcycle riders must wear a helmet when riding by law, bike helmets must be worn by bicycle riders age 14 and younger.
Wisconsin
Motorcycle helmets are required by any rider under the age of 17 and any passenger younger than 11 years of age. There is no law regarding the wearing of bike helmets when cycling.
Wyoming
Wyoming only requires motorcycle riders under the age of 17 to wear a helmet, there is no law regarding a bike helmet.