Delaware No Chase Law
Agency discretion
Does Delaware have a no-chase law? No — Delaware has no statewide law restricting police pursuits. Each department sets its own chase policy.
What governs pursuits in Delaware
11 Del. C. § 1935 (fresh pursuit, jurisdictional authority only); 21 Del. C. § 4103 (fleeing/eluding offense)
Delaware has no statewide statute limiting when police may pursue; 11 Del. C. § 1935 only extends peace officers' jurisdictional authority to pursue statewide upon reasonable suspicion of a felony, misdemeanor, or Motor Vehicle Code violation, and 21 Del. C. § 4103 makes it a class G felony for a driver to flee/elude. Actual pursuit initiation and termination criteria are left to each department (e.g., Delaware State Police has its own internal vehicular pursuit policy).
Will police chase a motorcycle in Delaware?
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.
No US state has a literal law forbidding officers from chasing motorcycles. What riders call a "no-chase law" is nearly always a department policy that tells officers to break off a pursuit when the danger to the public outweighs the arrest — and fleeing remains a crime in Delaware regardless. See the state-by-state motorcycle guide for how this works everywhere.
Sources
- law.justia.com/codes/delaware/title-11/chapter-19/subchapter-ii/section-1935/
- law.justia.com/codes/delaware/title-21/chapter-41/subchapter-i/section-4103/
- muckrock.com/foi/delaware-236/vehicular-pursuit-policy-delaware-state-police-149
Verified as of August 2026. Department policies can change without notice — check the agency's published policy for current break-off criteria.