Arizona Vehicle Light Laws: Headlights, Colors, and Penalties

Arizona vehicle light laws, set out in Title 28 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, tell you which lamps your car must have, when to use them, what colors are allowed, and which aftermarket additions cross the line. Get the details wrong and you can face a civil traffic citation; if faulty lighting contributes to a crash, you can face a misdemeanor charge carrying up to four months in jail and a fine of up to $750.

When You Must Turn On Your Headlights

Headlights are required from sunset to sunrise and any time visibility drops below 500 feet because of weather, dust, or other conditions.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-922 – Applicability of Lighting Laws The rule covers every class of vehicle on public roads. Daytime running lights alone may not meet it, because they often don’t activate the tail lamps. Flip the headlight switch manually when the conditions call for it.

The Lights Every Passenger Vehicle Must Have

A motor vehicle other than a motorcycle needs at least two headlamps, one on each side of the front, mounted between 22 and 54 inches above the ground. Motorcycles need at least one, within the same height range.2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-924 – Motor Vehicle Head Lamps

At the rear, every motor vehicle and trailer needs at least one tail lamp emitting red light visible from 500 feet behind, mounted between 15 and 72 inches high. A separate lamp or part of the tail lamp assembly must illuminate the license plate with white light legible from 50 feet.3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-925 – Tail Lamps

You also need at least one working stop lamp that shows red or yellow when you press the brake and is visible from 100 feet in daylight and at night.4Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-939 – Signal Lamps and Devices Selling or driving a vehicle on Arizona highways without a working stop lamp is prohibited.5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-927 – Stop Lamps Peace Officers Warnings

New motor vehicles sold in Arizona, other than truck tractors, must have two red reflectors on the rear, one on each side; motorcycles need at least one. The reflectors must be visible at night from 50 to 300 feet when hit by another vehicle’s headlights.6Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-926 – New Motor Vehicles Reflectors

Dimming Your High Beams

Switch from high to low beams when an oncoming vehicle is within 500 feet, or when you’re following another vehicle within 200 feet.7Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-942 – Multiple Beam Road Lighting Equipment Usage The low-beam setting is treated as glare-free at all times regardless of road conditions or vehicle load, so defaulting to low beams in traffic is always legal and safe.

Legal Light Colors

Arizona keeps the color rules straightforward. Front clearance lamps, front marker lamps, and front reflectors must display or reflect amber. All rear lighting devices and reflectors must display or reflect red.8Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-931 – Lamp Colors The license plate light and backup lamps are listed exceptions, which is why they can face rearward and still show white.

The front of your vehicle cannot show a red or blue light or lens visible from directly ahead. Lights visible from the front must be amber or white, with narrow exceptions for authorized emergency vehicles and certain law enforcement uses.9Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-947 – Special Restrictions on Lamps That rules out colored LED strips, halo rings, and accent lights that project red or blue toward the front.

Flashing lights on motor vehicles are generally prohibited, with exceptions for emergency vehicles, school buses, snow removal equipment, disabled or parked vehicle warnings, and turn signals. Factory hazard warning lights are allowed because the statute separately authorizes hazard lamps, provided rear-facing ones flash amber or red and front-facing ones flash white or amber.9Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-947 – Special Restrictions on Lamps

You cannot place any colored, translucent, or transparent material in front of a headlamp, auxiliary driving lamp, or auxiliary passing lamp that reduces its visibility or changes its color. Clear protective covers are the only exception.10Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-941 – Multiple Beam Road Lighting Equipment Arrangement

Auxiliary Lamps, Fog Lamps, and Light Bars

Aftermarket auxiliary driving lamps and fog lamps are allowed, with strict mounting rules under A.R.S. 28-938:

However many forward-facing lamps you install, no more than four lamps projecting more than 300 candlepower can be lit at the same time on a highway.12Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-946 – Number of Driving Lamps Required or Permitted That cap is where high-output LED light bars run into trouble. A single bar can easily exceed 300 candlepower, and running it with your headlights on a paved road puts you over the four-lamp limit. The common workaround is wiring the bar to a separate switch and leaving it off on public roads.

LED and HID Headlight Conversions

Dropping an aftermarket LED or HID bulb into a factory halogen housing is a gray area. NHTSA has stated that no LED light source is currently approved for use in a replaceable-bulb headlamp housing, because Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 requires headlamp systems to be tested and certified as complete units.13National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 571.108 NCC-230201-001 LED Headlights M. Baker

NHTSA doesn’t generally regulate what individuals do to their own vehicles and leaves enforcement to the states.13National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 571.108 NCC-230201-001 LED Headlights M. Baker Arizona’s general equipment statute prohibits driving a vehicle equipped in any manner that violates the lighting article.14Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-921 – Applicability of Equipment Requirements In practice, enforcement tends to focus on kits that produce excessive glare or improper beam patterns rather than the mere presence of a non-halogen bulb. Poorly aimed LED bulbs in reflector-style housings get drivers pulled over because the beam scatters light into oncoming traffic instead of projecting it down onto the road. Factory-installed LED headlamp assemblies, which include the housing, reflector, and light source as a single certified unit, are fully legal.

Underglow and Decorative Lighting

Arizona does not specifically ban underglow or other decorative accent lighting. The statute allows additional parts and accessories so long as their use is not inconsistent with the lighting article.14Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-921 – Applicability of Equipment Requirements That phrase is what sets the limits. Underglow is legal if:

  • It does not display red or blue light visible from the front of the vehicle.9Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-947 – Special Restrictions on Lamps
  • It does not flash or rotate.
  • It does not impair the visibility of your required lighting.
  • It follows the color rules: amber or white on the front, red on the rear.

White or amber underglow on the sides is the safest choice. The moment underglow includes blue, red toward the front, or any flashing pattern, you’ve crossed into territory reserved for emergency vehicles.

Trailers, Trucks, and Bicycles

Larger vehicles carry heavier equipment lists. Trailers over 3,000 pounds gross weight need front and rear clearance lamps, side marker lamps and reflectors on each side, two rear reflectors, and two stop lights. Smaller trailers need two rear reflectors, plus stop lights if the load or dimensions block the towing vehicle’s own stop lights. Buses and trucks 80 inches or wider must add front and rear clearance lamps, side marker lamps front and rear, and side reflectors; those longer than 30 feet need an extra midpoint marker and reflector on each side.15Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-929 – Additional Lighting Equipment Required on Certain Vehicles

Bicycles ridden at night need a front-facing white lamp visible from at least 500 feet and a rear red reflector visible from 50 to 300 feet when illuminated by headlights.16Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-817 – Bicycle Equipment A rear red lamp visible from 500 feet is optional, but adding both costs little and improves your odds on fast desert roads.

Penalties for Lighting Violations

Driving with improper or missing lights, or equipping a vehicle in any way that violates the lighting article, is prohibited under Arizona’s general equipment statute.14Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-921 – Applicability of Equipment Requirements Most lighting violations are civil traffic infractions, with the fine amount depending on the court and jurisdiction.

One break worth knowing: a first stop lamp violation is not a civil traffic violation and cannot result in a citation. An officer may issue a verbal or written warning or a notice to repair instead.5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-927 – Stop Lamps Peace Officers Warnings That grace period applies specifically to stop lamps. A burned-out headlight or an illegal light color can still draw a citation on the first encounter.

The exposure climbs sharply when improper lighting contributes to a collision. Driving with reckless disregard for the safety of others is reckless driving, a class 2 misdemeanor.17Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-693 – Reckless Driving Violation Classification That carries up to four months in jail18Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-707 – Misdemeanors Sentencing and a fine of up to $750.19Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-802 – Fines A judge can suspend your driving privileges for up to 90 days after a reckless driving conviction. A second reckless driving conviction within 24 months becomes a class 1 misdemeanor with a mandatory minimum of 20 days in jail.