Texas Laser Jammer Device Laws
Police uses two two types of speed measuring devices: laser speed guns (also called police lidars), and police radars. Jamming police radars and operating a radar jammer is a federal offense and prohibited in the entire US. Police radars, while almost equally accurate, and mostly no longer used by law enforcement.
Laser speed guns or LIDARs are more commonly used now. Some states prohibit the use of laser jammers, while most of US has no specific anti-laser jammer laws.
Is laser jamming legal in Texas?
In most of United States you can legally use laser jammers. However, using laser jammers is illegal in Texas.
Texas Transportation Code Sec. 547.616. states the following:
RADAR INTERFERENCE DEVICES; OFFENSE. (a) In this section, “radar interference device” means a device, a mechanism, an instrument, or equipment that is designed, manufactured, used, or intended to be used to interfere with, scramble, disrupt, or otherwise cause to malfunction a radar or laser device used to measure the speed of a motor vehicle by a law enforcement agency of this state or a political subdivision of this state, including a “radar jamming device,” “jammer,” “scrambler,” or “diffuser.” The term does not include a ham radio, band radio, or similar electronic device.
(b) A person, other than a law enforcement officer in the discharge of the officer’s official duties, may not use, attempt to use, install, operate, or attempt to operate a radar interference device in a motor vehicle operated by the person.
(c) A person may not purchase, sell, or offer for sale a radar interference device to be used in a manner described by Subsection (b).
(d) A person who violates this section commits an offense. An offense under this subsection is a Class C misdemeanor.
Texas laws regarding laser jamming leave nothing for interpretation. Using any device which attempts to interfere with Lidar guns is not legal.
Furthermore in Texas even purchasing or selling such a device is considered against the law. Violating police laser gun laws in Texas is considered a Class C misdemeanor.
Are police laser detectors legal in Texas?
Texas laws only prohibit using laser jammers. Laser detection devices are legal as these do not interfere with police lasers.
How radar and laser jammers work?
Radar jammers work on the principle of interfering frequencies from police radars. Police laser jamming devices work to interrupt their highly focused beam of infrared light.
While the effectiveness of radar and lidar jamming or detector devices is often debatable, only detection devices are legal in Texas.
Radar and laser detectors in Texas – Summary
TX Transportation Laws do not prevent you from using radar detectors or laser detectors, so we consider these devices legal to use.
Texas regulations do prohibit using any devices which interferes with radar or laser speed measurement devices used by law enforcement, so if you use a laser detector make sure it is not capable of jamming or interfering with any signals.