New York Senate Bill S01541

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/10/25
• Refer: 1/10/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Requires bicycles advertised for sale or resale in New York state to have an identifying serial number in legible boldfaced figures in one of certain specified areas on the bicycle; requires advertisements for bicycles to clearly and conspicuously include a photograph of such bicycles; exempts online marketplaces from placing identifying serial numbers on bicycles.

Summary

S01541 amends New York’s General Business Law to expand bicycle identification and advertising requirements. Under the bill, bicycles manufactured or assembled on or after January 1, 1989 may not be sold, offered for sale, or offered and advertised for resale in New York unless they bear a permanently affixed identifying serial number in a specified visible location on the frame or related component. The bill also adds a new requirement for bicycles advertised for resale: the advertisement must clearly and conspicuously display a photograph of the bicycle and at least the last four digits of its serial number. The bill creates an enforcement process for noncompliance. The Secretary of State must first issue a warning with compliance information, and if the violation continues, may assess a civil penalty of up to $250 per point of sale. It also clarifies that third-party sellers using online marketplaces are treated as the sellers covered by the law, while the marketplace owners or operators themselves are not subject to these bicycle-specific requirements.

Impact

The bill would amend section 391-c of the General Business Law by broadening the existing serial-number rule to cover bicycles advertised for resale and by imposing new disclosure requirements in resale advertisements. It would also add a state enforcement mechanism through the Secretary of State, including warnings and civil penalties, and would expressly exclude online marketplace operators from liability while still applying the law to third-party sellers using those platforms. The practical effect is to increase traceability of used bicycles and standardize resale listings in New York.

Sentiment

The available legislative history suggests generally favorable sentiment toward the bill, as it was introduced, reported favorably from the Senate Consumer Protection Committee, and advanced through multiple readings with amendment and reprinting. No recorded votes or committee transcripts are provided, so there is no evidence in the supplied materials of organized opposition or divided debate. Overall, the bill appears to have been treated as a consumer-protection and anti-theft measure with broad procedural support.

Contention

The main points of potential contention are the added compliance burden on bicycle sellers and the scope of responsibility for online sales. Requiring photographs and partial serial-number disclosure in resale advertisements may raise concerns for private sellers, retailers, and platforms about administrative burden, privacy, and enforcement. The bill addresses one of those concerns by exempting online marketplace owners and operators from direct liability, but it still places obligations on third-party sellers using those platforms, which could remain a point of debate.