I wanted to ride my eMTB on a closed fire road in the Los Padres Nat forest. Is this closed road considered a non-motorized trail? Is this legal? Does it matter which class of bike?
I found this post online mentioning the ebike laws for Los Padres National Forest. It looks like you are only allowed to ride ebikes on trails where motorcycles are allowed.
"...the rules for Los Padres National Forest, set by the U.S. Forest Service, limit e-bikes to “OHV trails, or in layman’s terms, where motorcycles are allowed,” says Mayfield. “That includes West Camino Cielo, Buckhorn Road, Camuesa Road, Divide Peak and Upper Oso.” On other LPNF trails, you can’t be on an e-bike, whether you use the electric aspect or not. (Mayfield adds that e-bikes are welcome at Elings Park and many of the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy Trails.)"
You could also contact the US Forest Service Pacific Southwest Regional Office or the BLM California State Office for more information. They would be the ones who know!