Headlights & Vehicle Lighting
Search names, statutes, classifications, penalties, points, and enforcement notes.
11 offenses
Defective stop lamps / turn signals
Florida Statute § 316.222
Covered motor vehicles and trailers generally need at least two stop lamps and electric turn signals meeting §316.234. Pre-1972 vehicles need at least one stop lamp, and pre-1972 passenger cars/trucks under 80 inches wide are excepted from electric turn-signal equipment. On combinations, visibility is assessed at the rearmost vehicle. Record vehicle year/type, the number and operation of required lamps, and the applicable exception; brake-lamp color/visibility and signal performance are specified in §316.234.
Defective/improper headlamps
Florida Statute § 316.220
Covered motor vehicles need at least two white headlamps, one on each front side, mounted 24–54 inches above level ground as measured under §316.217. A cover or material may not alter the headlamp's light color. Document missing or defective lamps, emitted color, any covering, and mounting height if that is the basis. Apply the vehicle-class provisions and chapter exceptions; motorcycles have their own headlamp requirements.
Defective/improper taillamps
Florida Statute § 316.221
Covered vehicles generally need two rear red taillamps visible from 1,000 feet when required to be lit, mounted at the same level and as widely spaced as practicable. Pre-1972 passenger cars/pickups originally equipped with one need only one. In combinations, the required visibility is from the rearmost vehicle. Covers may not alter the required visibility. Rear plates must be white-lit and legible from 50 feet whenever headlamps/auxiliary driving lamps are lit; dump-body vehicles have the subsection (2) exception.
Failure to dim high beams
Florida Statute § 316.238
During required-lighting conditions, use beams that reveal people and vehicles at a safe distance without prohibited glare. For an oncoming vehicle within 500 feet, use a distribution that does not project glare into the other driver's eyes; lawful low beams satisfy that requirement. When following another vehicle within 300 feet, do not use the uppermost beam. Record relative direction, distance, lighting conditions, and the beam/glare observed.
Headlamps required
Florida Statute § 316.217
A vehicle operated on a highway must display the lights required for its class from sunset to sunrise, including twilight, and during any rain, smoke, or fog. Determine which required lamps were unlit and the actual time/weather; daytime running lights may not illuminate all required lamps. Stop and turn lamps must also work when used. A narrow law-enforcement exception requires necessity, a written agency policy, compliance with that policy, and safe operation; parked vehicles have separate exceptions.
Improper auxiliary/spot lamps
Florida Statute § 316.233
Check the lamp type before applying the limit: no more than two each of spot, fog, auxiliary passing, or auxiliary driving lamps. Spot beams may not strike another occupied/in-use vehicle's windows, mirror, or occupants. Fog lamps must be 12–30 inches high and meet the 25-foot beam-aim limit; auxiliary passing lamps 24–42 inches; auxiliary driving lamps 16–42 inches. Document count, measured height/aim, and use. Optional lamps are not automatically unlawful merely because added after manufacture.
Improper lamp color
Florida Statute § 316.224
Front clearance/identification lamps and front-side markers or reflectors must be amber; rear clearance/identification lamps and rear-side markers or reflectors must be red. Rear lighting is generally red, with specific exceptions: stop/signal devices may be red, amber, or yellow; the plate lamp must be white; backup lamps may be white or amber; authorized deceleration lights are amber. Identify the lamp's function and position before deciding that its color violates this section.
Improper signal lamps/devices
Florida Statute § 316.234
Stop lamps must activate with the foot brake, emit red or amber, and be visible at least 300 feet behind in normal sunlight. Turn signals must flash on the turning side, with white/amber to the front and red/amber to the rear; required visibility is 500 feet for vehicles at least 80 inches wide and 300 feet for narrower vehicles. Covers may not alter those visibility requirements. Record lamp function, color, operation, vehicle width, and observation distance.
Lower beam required
Florida Statute § 316.2385
Use the lower/passing beam during morning and evening twilight and during fog, smoke, or rain. Twilight is the period between sunset and full darkness or between full darkness and sunrise. Record the condition and use of an upper beam. This requirement applies independently of whether another vehicle is within the high-beam dimming distances.
Trailer — clearance lamps, side markers & reflectors
Florida Statute § 316.2225(4)-(6)
Under §316.217 lighting conditions, trailers and semitrailers over 3,000 pounds gross weight require two front clearance lamps; two side marker lamps and two reflectors on each side (front/rear); and two rear clearance lamps, two rear reflectors, and a stop light. Pole trailers over 3,000 pounds have the separate subsection (5) configuration. At 3,000 pounds gross or less, trailers, semitrailers, and pole trailers require two rear reflectors; a trailer/semitrailer obscuring the tow vehicle stop lamp also requires a stop light under (6). These are additional requirements; assess §316.221 taillamps and §316.222 stop lamps/turn signals separately. Document actual gross weight, trailer type, lighting conditions, lamp position and visibility. Boat trailer, utility trailer, trailer lights.
Unauthorized red/blue/special lights
Florida Statute § 316.2397
Red/red-and-white/blue light visible directly from the front, blue lights generally, and flashing lights are restricted unless the vehicle and use fit a statutory authorization. Confirm color, direction, operation, and emergency, wrecker, service, security, or other authorized status. Turn signals, lawful stopped/disabled warnings, intermittent headlamp flashes, and hazard use in extremely low visibility on roads posted at least 55 mph have exceptions. A subsection (1) violation used to stop or attempt to stop another vehicle is a separate felony track; ordinary unauthorized lighting is civil.