The DC Department of Transportation announced this week that beginning June 1st (that's this coming Sunday), bicycle registration in the District of Columbia is no longer required.

This change is a result of legislation that Tommy moved through Council last year to reform bicycle registration rules. The "Bicycle Registration Reform Act of 2007,” replaces the little used system of mandatory bicycle registration at local police stations with a voluntary system of bicycle registration with a national registry.

Previously, the District has a little used but mandatory program that requires registration of every bicycle in the District with MPD. Estimates ranged as low as 20 percent of DC bicycles were actually registered. A 2005 Police Complaints Board report cited the mandatory requirement as a tool used in police harassment and recommended it be repealed.  The D.C. Bicycle Advisory Council agreed that mandatory registration should be eliminated.

Tommy stated at the bill's introduction, “Unfortunately, the current system isn’t working the way it was intended – to protect against theft. The current requirements don’t make it easy to register your bike and even when you do, your bicycle doesn’t become a part of the National Bike Registry."

DDOT and MPD now encourage citizens to register their bicycles with the National Bicycle Registry (NBR).  NBR is a service that allows users to register their bicycle by serial number in a national database. 

Accessible by law enforcement anywhere in the United States, NBR makes it easier and faster for police officers to identify and prove ownership of stolen bicycles and return them to their rightful owners. 

How do you register a bicycle with the NBR? Residents may do any of the following:

- purchase a NBR registration kit for $10 at area bicycle shops, or
- register your bike online at www.nationalbikeregistry.com or by calling 1-800-848-BIKE