Motorcycle No-Chase Laws: A State-by-State Guide

Verified against state statutes and department policies · Updated August 2026

No US state has a law that bans police from chasing motorcycles. What riders call a "no-chase law" is almost always a department policy — a written rule telling officers when to break off a pursuit because the danger to the public outweighs the arrest. Motorcycles trigger those break-off rules more often than cars, because a fleeing rider who crashes at speed usually dies. That is why chases of sportbikes often get called off, and why the myth of "no-chase states" persists.

This guide gives you the real picture: which states restrict pursuits by actual statute, which leave it entirely to each department, and what that means for motorcycle pursuits in all 50 states and DC.

What people mean by a "no-chase law"

Three different things get mixed together under this phrase:

Statewide pursuit statutes. A small number of jurisdictions — Washington, DC, and a handful of others — passed laws limiting when any pursuit may start. None of them mentions motorcycles specifically.
Department pursuit policies. Most of the country. Each agency writes its own rules: what offenses justify a chase, when a supervisor must call it off, whether PIT maneuvers are allowed. Many big-city policies effectively end motorcycle chases quickly because the risk calculus fails.
Officer practice. The videos of cops waving off a wheelie-ing sportbike. That's discretion in the moment, not law.

Only the first category is law. If a website tells you a state "has a no-chase law for motorcycles," it is nearly always describing the second or third category — or repeating another website that did.

States most often (wrongly) called motorcycle no-chase states

California, Florida, Texas, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington appear on most "no-chase state" lists. The reality, as of August 2026:

California — no ban. Vehicle Code § 17004.7 grants a city immunity from chase-related lawsuits if its department adopts and trains on a written pursuit policy. Whether police chase your bike is a department decision.
Washington — the closest to a real no-chase state. RCW 10.116.060 (2021) limited pursuits to suspected violent and sex offenses; Initiative 2113 (2024) lowered the bar back to reasonable suspicion of any violation, with a required risk balancing. Still statewide law, still not motorcycle-specific.
Washington, DC — the strictest rule in the country: pursuits generally banned unless the suspect committed a crime of violence and the chase is unlikely to cause serious injury (D.C. Code § 5-365.02, eased slightly in 2024).
Florida — the opposite of a no-chase state. The Florida Highway Patrol loosened its own policy in 2024 to give troopers broader discretion to chase.
Texas — no statewide restriction; a 2025 law makes DPS adopt a formal pursuit policy, but local departments still set their own rules.
Massachusetts and Oregon — no statewide pursuit restrictions; department policy governs.

Why police really break off motorcycle chases

Departments call off motorcycle pursuits for practical reasons that have nothing to do with a special law:

The risk math fails fast. Pursuit policies require officers to weigh the offense against the danger. A traffic offense never outweighs a likely fatality, and a fleeing rider at 120 mph is a likely fatality.
Liability. When a chased rider crashes and dies, the agency gets sued. Policies exist partly to manage exactly that exposure.
They don't need to catch you today. Plate readers, cameras, and warrants mean the chase often ends with a knock on a door instead. Fleeing is a separate crime — in most states a felony once speed gets dangerous — and it doesn't expire when the officer shuts off the lights.

Every state's rule at a glance

Legend: Restrictive statute statewide statute limits pursuits · Statewide conditions statewide conditions · Pursuit-friendly law/policy favors pursuit · Agency discretion department policy decides.

State	Statewide restriction?	Will police chase a motorcycle?
Alabama	Agency discretion	No Alabama law or known department policy singles out motorcycles for a no-chase rule; pursuit of a motorcycle is left to the pursuing officer's and agency's discretion under general pursuit policy, factoring in speed/safety risk like any other vehicle..
Alaska	Agency discretion	No Alaska statute or published department policy has a blanket no-chase-motorcycle rule; officers apply the same discretionary risk-balancing (speed, road conditions, offense severity) used for any pursuit, and troopers may decline or terminate a chase they judge too dangerous..
Arizona	Pursuit-friendly	No Arizona statute or known department policy exempts motorcycles from pursuit; DPS and local agencies apply the same officer/supervisor discretion and risk-based termination criteria to motorcycle pursuits as to any vehicle pursuit..
Arkansas	Agency discretion	No statewide Arkansas law addresses motorcycle pursuits specifically; individual department pursuit policies (which set speed/risk-based termination criteria) apply equally to motorcycles, and officers retain discretion to break off a chase they judge unsafe..
California	Agency discretion	No California statute singles out motorcycles; agencies apply their own §17004.7-compliant policy criteria (offense severity, speed, traffic/pedestrian risk) to decide whether to pursue a motorcycle, with officer/supervisor discretion to terminate if risk outweighs the need for capture..
Colorado	Agency discretion	No statewide law addresses motorcycles specifically.
Connecticut	Statewide conditions	No statewide statute singles out motorcycles.
Delaware	Agency discretion	No statewide rule addresses motorcycle pursuits specifically; it's left to each department's discretion under its own pursuit policy, generally guided by risk-to-the-public/officer safety factors common to any high-speed chase..
District of Columbia	Restrictive statute	No DC law or MPD order singles out motorcycles for no-chase treatment; the same crime-of-violence/imminent-threat/no-other-options standard in D.C.
Florida	Pursuit-friendly	No statewide law addresses this.
Georgia	Pursuit-friendly	No statewide law addresses motorcycles.
Hawaii	Agency discretion	No Hawaii law addresses motorcycles specifically.
Idaho	Agency discretion	No Idaho statute singles out motorcycles.
Illinois	Agency discretion	No Illinois law addresses motorcycles specifically.
Indiana	Statewide conditions	Indiana's statewide minimum standards don't name motorcycles specifically.
Iowa	Agency discretion	No Iowa statute addresses motorcycles specifically.
Kansas	Agency discretion	No statewide law addresses motorcycles specifically; whether police pursue a motorcycle is left to each Kansas department's own pursuit policy and officer judgment, factoring in speed/rider safety risk like any vehicle..
Kentucky	Agency discretion	No statewide rule on motorcycles; individual department policies (like LMPD's SOP 12-1) set risk-based criteria that officers apply case-by-case to any vehicle type, including motorcycles..
Louisiana	Agency discretion	No statewide statute singles out motorcycles; Louisiana State Police and local department policies apply general risk-based pursuit/roadblock criteria to any vehicle, including motorcycles, at officer/supervisor discretion..
Maine	Agency discretion	No statewide law addresses motorcycles; Maine departments apply their adopted (often model-policy-based) risk criteria case-by-case, which can lead officers to break off high-risk pursuits including motorcycle pursuits, but this is departmental discretion, not a legal ban..
Maryland	Agency discretion	No statewide law addresses motorcycles specifically; it's up to each Maryland department's pursuit policy and the pursuing officer's/supervisor's risk assessment whether to continue chasing a motorcycle, similar to any vehicle..
Massachusetts	Agency discretion	No Massachusetts law bars chasing motorcycles specifically.
Michigan	Agency discretion	There is no Michigan 'no-chase motorcycle' law, despite that phrase appearing on some lawyer-marketing sites; it refers loosely to MSP's 2024 felony-only pursuit policy, which applies to all vehicles including motorcycles, not motorcycles specifically.
Minnesota	Statewide conditions	No Minnesota law singles out motorcycles for a no-chase rule.
Mississippi	Agency discretion	No Mississippi statute addresses motorcycle pursuits specifically.
Missouri	Agency discretion	No Missouri law creates a no-chase rule for motorcycles.
Montana	Agency discretion	No statewide Montana law addresses motorcycle pursuits specifically.
Nebraska	Agency discretion	No statewide Nebraska law singles out motorcycles.
Nevada	Agency discretion	No Nevada statute or known department policy has a blanket no-chase-motorcycles rule.
New Hampshire	Agency discretion	No statewide New Hampshire law addresses motorcycle pursuits.
New Jersey	Statewide conditions	No New Jersey rule bans chasing motorcycles specifically.
New Mexico	Statewide conditions	No statewide law singles out motorcycles.
New York	Agency discretion	No statewide or NYPD rule categorically exempts motorcycles; pursuit eligibility turns on the underlying offense (felony/violent misdemeanor under the current NYPD policy), with supervisors able to terminate any pursuit, including of a motorcycle, deemed too dangerous..
North Carolina	Agency discretion	No statewide rule addresses motorcycles specifically; it's agency-by-agency discretion under each department's own pursuit policy, factoring in road/traffic conditions and risk, same as for any vehicle..
North Dakota	Agency discretion	No statewide rule on motorcycles; each department's discretionary policy governs, generally weighing the underlying offense and road risk the same way regardless of vehicle type..
Ohio	Agency discretion	No statewide rule singles out motorcycles; individual departments' policies (which vary) set discretionary break-off criteria that in practice often apply extra caution to two-wheeled vehicles given crash risk, but there is no blanket no-chase-motorcycle law..
Oklahoma	Agency discretion	No Oklahoma law or statewide policy exempts motorcycles from pursuit; whether officers chase a motorcycle is up to the pursuing agency's own risk-based policy (speed, road/weather conditions, offense severity), same as for any vehicle..
Oregon	Agency discretion	No state law addresses motorcycle pursuits specifically; each department's discretionary pursuit policy (weighing speed/road conditions/offense severity) applies equally to motorcycles as to cars..
Pennsylvania	Agency discretion	No Pennsylvania statute singles out motorcycles; pursuit of a motorcycle is governed by whichever local department's confidential pursuit policy applies, typically weighing offense severity and rider/public safety risk..
Rhode Island	Statewide conditions	No Rhode Island law exempts motorcycles from pursuit; the same statutory high-speed-pursuit criteria (offense severity, justification/reporting) apply, with actual go/no-go left to the officer and department policy given the added rider-safety risk..
South Carolina	Restrictive statute	No South Carolina law exempts motorcycles; the same statewide probable-cause/reasonable-suspicion pursuit criteria and mandatory risk-weighing (including road/traffic conditions) apply, so a motorcycle chase proceeds only if those statutory triggers are met..
South Dakota	Agency discretion	No SD law bars chasing a motorcycle specifically.
Tennessee	Agency discretion	No TN law addresses motorcycles specifically.
Texas	Agency discretion	No Texas law addresses motorcycle pursuits specifically.
Utah	Agency discretion	No Utah law bars chasing motorcycles specifically.
Vermont	Agency discretion	No Vermont law singles out motorcycles.
Virginia	Agency discretion	No state or statewide rule bars chasing a motorcycle in Virginia; it is left to each department's pursuit policy, which typically weighs rider/public safety and often discourages high-speed pursuit of two-wheeled vehicles due to added crash risk, but no blanket ban exists..
Washington	Statewide conditions	No Washington statute singles out motorcycles; RCW 10.116.060's reasonable-suspicion/threat-balancing test applies to any fleeing vehicle, and individual agency policies (e.g., WSP) commonly impose extra caution or break-off criteria for motorcycle pursuits due to elevated crash risk, not a blanket no-chase rule..
West Virginia	Agency discretion	No statewide or documented departmental no-chase-motorcycle rule was found in West Virginia; pursuit decisions, including for motorcycles, are left to each agency's discretion under the general due-care standard of §17C-2-5..
Wisconsin	Statewide conditions	No Wisconsin statute addresses motorcycle pursuits specifically; §346.03 guidelines apply to pursuits of any vehicle type, with agency-level policies typically factoring in the higher risk of high-speed motorcycle chases without an outright ban..
Wyoming	Agency discretion	No statewide or documented no-chase-motorcycle policy exists in Wyoming; pursuit of a motorcycle, like any vehicle, is governed by the pursuing agency's own written policy and officer/supervisor discretion..

Does a no-chase policy make fleeing legal?

No. Refusing to stop for an officer is a crime in every state — usually a felony once speed or danger escalates. A department's no-chase policy limits what the officer does next; it does not protect the rider from the charge, the warrant, or the plate reader. Riders who flee because "they can't chase me" routinely get arrested later, with a felony evading charge stacked on whatever the original stop was about.

If you were hurt in or near a motorcycle pursuit

Liability in pursuit crashes turns on the state's immunity rules and whether the department followed its own policy. Start with who pays when a police chase causes a crash, then talk to a licensed attorney in your state — this site is general information, not legal advice.

Sources and method

Every state entry links its primary sources — statute text, legislative records, and department policy documents — on its state page. We re-verify the fast-moving states (Washington, DC, Florida, Michigan, Texas) whenever legislation changes, and date every page. National casualty data is on our police chase statistics page.