Texas Neon Underglow Lights Laws
Neon underglow lights are very popular among car enthusiasts looking to improve their car’s appearance. Many vehicle owners attach neon lights to their vehicles simply for aesthetic purposes. Potential underglow safety issues are rarely a concern for most owners.
This is why most state laws restrict the color or luminosity of neon lights attached to the car, among other things. Enthusiast drivers can take things too far sometimes. To ensure other drivers don’t get distracted by overly flashy vehicles, there is legislation to prevent various aftermarket vehicle modifications. For neon underglow, most of these laws are found under “Unlawful vehicle modifications” and “Lighting requirements”.
In the state of Texas (TX), neon underglow lights are considered legal to use, though there are some restrictions you need to be aware of. Below you can find the basic overview of relevant laws pertaining to neon car lights in Texas.
Are neon underglow lights legal in Texas?
Unless something is directly prohibited by law, it’s considered legal. Texas laws do not prohibit installing any aftermarket or non-mandatory lights, thus using neon underglow in Texas is legal.
Texas laws do not in any way prohibit using underglow or underbody lights.
TX vehicle equipment regulations mostly speak of mandatory vehicle lights, but also have restrictions on which kind of vehicle lighting and colors are permitted. Based on this, the only vehicle lights which are illegal to use are flashing, oscillating, moving or otherwise non-stationary lights.
Law source:
- Texas Transportation Code (Title 7, Subtitle C, Chapter 547 – Vehicle Equipment).
Restricted colors
Texas only prohibits displaying color red in front of vehicles. Red lights must not be visible from the front of the vehicle, therefore even if your underglow is hidden underneath the car chassis you should avoid color red.
Furthermore (though not restricted by law) we suggest avoiding blue and green colored street glow. Lights of these colors are often used by law enforcement or other emergency vehicles.
To stay completely legal we suggest only using white or amber (yellow) colored neon underglow.
During a traffic stop we do not recommend telling police officers your underglow can change color. Most LED underglow systems are capable of displaying many different colors. Even being able to display red color may be used as an excuse for police to cite you.
Motorcycle underglow
Texas laws are more specific on motorcycle underglow. LED ground effect lighting is permitted on motorbikes as long as it emits a non-flashing amber or white light.
Penalties
Underglow system which is outside the law may result on you getting cited for a non-moving traffic violation. Receiving a citation means you will be required to modify your car to conform to legal standards, as well as pay a fine. Operating a vehicle in violation of Texas state regulations is considered a misdemeanor.
Displaying red, blue, green or any combinations of these colors with white can lead to further penalties and fines. You can be charged with impersonating an emergency vehicle, which is a serious crime with severe penalties.
If you must use underglow while on public roads, then we recommend strictly using white or amber colors. You can use any colors on private property.