Well, someone I know (me) wants fog lights and needed a place to obey the law. 🙂 LAREDO, TX. The Laredo Police Department advises motorists about a vehicle trend that is illegal in the state of Texas. Authorities say current trends in headlight upgrades such as colored bulbs, blackout hues and halo LED lights in teas are not legal. The CFR refers you to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) #J578, which references several other SAE standards. Anything that meets these standards is “legal.” The police ask you not to put yourself or your passengers in danger and to use suitable headlights. It`s funny you mentioned that. I want to read the Colorado Fog Light Act. I have fog lights on my Wrangler. They are covered.
In Florida, I think they had to be covered, unless they were in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, I`m just curious about my local law. I haven`t read Texas. » lol Any device that interferes with the required efficiency of headlights, taillights, reflectors, etc. is prohibited. The luminaires, front and rear, are manufactured by the manufacturer to meet this safety standard. An alternative or additional material, especially something dark, would reduce its effectiveness. For more information on lighting, see the Texas Transportation Code, Chapter 547, Subchapter D&E. Each headlamp of the vehicle shall be white or yellow and amber. For the transparent lenses of the rear lights to be legal, they must consist of the following: Each motor vehicle must be equipped with two or more red reflectors at the rear, either as part of the rear lights or separately. (b) A front fog lamp shall (1) be mounted in front of the vehicle at a height of 12 to 30 inches; and (2) aligned so that no part of the high-intensity part of the beam of a lamp mounted to the left of the centre of a vehicle projects a beam of light at a distance of 25 feet above four inches below the level of the centre of the lamp.
Vehicle lighting equipment is covered by Texas Transportation Code Chapter 547, Subchapter D. § 547.3215 – Use of Federal Standard. Except as expressly prohibited in this Chapter, the lighting, reflective devices and related equipment of a vehicle or motor vehicle shall meet the following requirements: An affixed lighting device or a sticker, sticker, emblem or other insignia not authorized by law and which prohibits the legibility of letters or numbers on the plate or name of the State in which the vehicle is registered; weaken. This would mean that subjectively (or in the eyes of law enforcement) all illuminated license plate frames – especially neon frames – are NOT LEGAL. A coating, cover, protective material or other device that: Current Federal Standards in 49 C.F.R. Section 571.108; or letters, numbers or other identifying marks that are not always clearly visible in daylight due to blurred or reflective materials, or According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, colored bulbs must bear the Department of Transportation`s compliance seal. Every motor vehicle shall be equipped with at least two tail lights, unless it was manufactured before 1960; In this case, your vehicle must be equipped with one (1) taillight that, when illuminated, emits a clearly visible red light at a distance of 1,000 feet to the rear. § 547.328. (a) A motor vehicle shall not be equipped with more than two front fog lamps.
Each reflector of a vehicle shall be of such size and characteristics and installed so as to be visible at night from all distances between 600 and 100 feet from that vehicle when it is directly in front of the lawful lower dipped-beam headlamp. (c) Fog lamps may be used with the lower headlamps in accordance with section 547.333. Texas Transportation Code § 547.321. Projectors required§ 547.3215. Use of Federal Standard § 547.322. Rear lights required§ 547.323. Stop lamps required§ 547.324. Turn signal lights required§ 547.325. Required reflectors Changes or obscures half or more of the name of the state in which the vehicle is registered; or The test criteria for tail lamps are: “Tail lamp. Inspect and refuse if: the lamp is covered with any part of the body.
The bulb must have a DOT stamp or SAE equivalent. Currently, there are no “red” bulbs approved by the NO DOT. Vehicles equipped with clear replacement lenses and illuminated by a red bulb will be rejected. (There are currently NO “red” bulbs approved by the DOT.) Device manufacturers must certify themselves that they meet these standards. The DOT does not test devices unless they act against those who do not meet the standards. You must ensure that the equipment manufacturer is reputable and that all devices have a DOT or equivalent SAE stamp (or if they are not marked, keep the box indicating that they are “DOT approved”) and do not use equipment intended solely for “off-road or entertainment”. The Transportation Code § 502.409 prohibits the affixing or affixing of a license plate or license plate to a motor vehicle if: § 547.333. MULTIBEAM LIGHTING EQUIPMENT REQUIRED. (a) Unless otherwise specified, headlamps, auxiliary headlamps or combinations thereof fitted to a power-driven vehicle other than motorcycles or motorcycles (1) shall be so arranged as to enable the operator to choose at will between light distributions projected at different heights; and (2) can be arranged in such a way that the operator can automatically select the distribution. (b) A lamp designated under clause (a) shall produce: (1) a higher light distribution or a composite beam directed and emitting light so that a person or vehicle becomes visible at a distance of at least 450 feet under all load conditions; and (2) a weakest distribution of the light or composite beam that: (A) is directed and emits sufficient light to reveal a person or vehicle at a distance of at least 150 feet; and (B) is aligned in such a way that no part of the high-intensity part of the beam of a vehicle travelling on a straight and flat road, regardless of loading conditions, is projected into the eyes of an approaching driver.
(c) A person driving a vehicle on a roadway or rigid shoulder shall choose a light distribution or composite beam that is directed and emits sufficient light to detect a person or vehicle at a safe distance in front of the vehicle, with the following exceptions: (1) A driver who approaches an oncoming vehicle within 500 feet select: (a) the lowest distribution of the light or composite beam, irrespective of the road contour or state of charge; or (B) a distribution aligned so that no part of the high-intensity part of the lamp projects into the eyes of an approaching driver; (2) A driver approaching a vehicle from behind within 300 feet shall not select the upper lighting distribution. (d) a motor vehicle of model year 1948 or later, other than a motorcycle or motorized bicycle equipped with multi-beam lighting, must be equipped with a beam indicator that (1) is designed and arranged in such a way that the illuminated screen is visible to the driver; and (2) illuminated only when the top light distribution is used. The federal standards set out in this section, if any, apply at the time the vehicle or motor vehicle is manufactured. The stop lamp shall be actuated when the service brake (foot brake) is applied and may be fitted to one or more other rear lamps. The lens of the brake lamps must be of a type that complies with the standards of the Ministère de la Sécurité publique. The rear reflectors of a vehicle shall be red. All motor vehicles shall be fitted with one or more stop lamps in working order corresponding to the number of stop lamps fitted to the vehicle at the time of initial manufacture of the vehicle. Changes or obscures the letters or numbers on the licence plate or the colour of the licence plate. A stop lamp must emit a red or yellow light or any shade between red and the car. Red reflectors, which are required at the rear of a vehicle, can be installed in the rear light assembly. A stop lamp shall be visible at the rear at a distance of at least 300 feet in direct sunlight.
