Are LED Lights Inside Cars Legal? (50 States Checked)

Some car owners include custom interior LED lights in their vehicle’s interior to make them stand out. Depending on the owner’s preference, they get to choose from various colors that best suit their interior design.

While using LED lights beautifies your car interior, it is illegal in some states. Speaking of the law, find out if mini trucks are street-legal or not.

If you’d like to know if it is legal or not in your state we’ve explored the law in all states.

States Where Led Lights Inside Cars Are Legal

These states do not have any specific law that makes LED lights in car interiors illegal, but they have restrictions that car owners must adhere to.

Restrictions common to these states include ensuring the license plate illumination is white. Meanwhile, also find out if all Ferarris are street-legal.

Flashing or nonstationary lights are illegal in the interior or other parts of the vehicle depending on the state. We included additional information specific to each state below.

1. Alabama

Alabama restrictions further include making sure there is no installation of any red lights in front of the vehicles.

Car owners should note that it is best to avoid all blue and red lights in any part of the vehicle as they are for emergency vehicles. Instead, owners can go for white or amber under-glow.

2. Alaska

Alaska does not allow blue light of any kind on vehicles, however, owners can install under-glow colors of white in the front, amber on the sides, and red on the rear.

3. Arizona

Arizona requires owners should ensure the only lights visible in their vehicle from the front should be amber or white, while the light visible from the rear should be red.

Avoiding blue and red colors is also necessary, as these colors are mainly for emergency vehicles.

4. Arkansas

Arkansas only permits two additional white ornament lights in the front.

No red, blue, or green light should be visible from the front of the vehicle.

Note that Arkansas has highly restrictive car lightning and LED lights laws.

Owing to this, we recommend drivers should turn off all additional aftermarket lighting when driving on public roads to avoid penalties.

5. California

California demands that LED lights must not emit over 0.05 candela per square inch. However, where the LED light emits more than this, they only include the colors white and amber in the front, and red in the rear.

The law also requires owners to install them within 12 inches of the vehicle’s required lights just as other aftermarket lights.

6. Colorado

Colorado demands that green color lights and red or blue lights should not be visible from the front of the car.

Meanwhile, find out some reasons why car lights won’t stop blinking.

7. Delaware

Delaware restrictions include lights visible from the front or front sides should include only white or amber color, while all lights visible from the rear or rear sides of the car should be red or amber color.

8. Florida

In Florida, owners should avoid installing blue lights in any part of the vehicle. The rear lights should also be red and no other color.

9. Georgia

Note that Georgia law forbids red, blue, and green colors in any part of the vehicle.

Abiding by this law and those we mentioned above allows drivers to have LED lights in their cars in Georgia.

10. Hawaii

Hawaii prohibits red and blue lights with a punishment of up to a $1,000 fine or up to one year of imprisonment.

11. Idaho

LED lights restriction in Idaho includes blue lights being illegal, and only red lights can be visible from the rear of the car.

12. Indiana

Indiana restriction includes the prohibition of all combinations of blue, red, white, and amber colors.

13. Iowa

The state prohibits the use of Blue lights on any part of the vehicle aside from the restrictions we listed above.

14. Kansas

Kansas demands that neon tubes must not be invisible if owners employ them in their vehicles.

15. Kentucky

Kentucky only allows the display of any kind of flashing or rotating light in an emergency. The display of blue lights is also illegal.

16. Louisiana

Louisiana bans blue-colored lights and disallows the display of any combination of white, red, and blue lights. Red or green lights must also not be visible from the front of the car.

17. Maryland

Maryland prohibits the visibility of red or blue lights from the front of the vehicle.

And for the rear, Maryland permits only red where owners will like an aftermarket light.

18. Mississippi

Mississippi allows only white or amber lights to be visible from the front while flashing lights are illegal. All lights from the rear should also be red.

19. Missouri

There are no further prominent restrictions on LED lights aside from those we mentioned above based on Missouri law.

20. Montana

Montana law includes the prohibition of red, blue, and green lights. However, where the vehicle is not on a public road, owners may employ all LED light colors.

21. Nebraska

Nebraska requires green lights should not to be visible from the front of the vehicle just as the restriction on red lights.

22. Nevada

Nevada requires that all after-market lights from the rear of the vehicle are red and none other.

23. New Hampshire

Red, blue, amber or green lights are illegal in New Hampshire.

Also, read our article about why car inside lights may not shut off.

24. New Jersey

New Jersey demands that only white or amber lights should be visible from the front of the vehicle, while lights visible from the sides must be amber. Visible lights from the rear, however, should be red.

25. New Mexico

The New Mexico law doesn’t include other prominent prohibitions on the adoption of LED lights except for those stated above, which are common to states under this category.

26. New York

New York allows only white color for non-mandatory vehicle lights aside from the prohibitions that are common to states under this category.

27. North Carolina

Car owners should note that the use of blue or red-colored lights is illegal in North Carolina. The state also prohibits the display of amber flashing lights.

White color lights should also not be visible from the rear of the vehicle.

28. North Dakota

North Dakota prohibits the visibility of green lights from the front of the vehicle just like the red lights.

29. Ohio

Ohio demands that under-glow lights, which include LED lights, must not exceed 300 candle power if car owners employ them in their vehicles.

30. Oregon

Oregon only allows red lights in the rear. Blue lights are available for only police vehicles.

31. Oklahoma

The red and blue lights should not be visible from the front of the car in Oklahoma. Note that additional lights near the license plate are illegal.

32. Rhode Island

The law of Rhode Island does not include any other noticeable limits on the use of LED lighting, except for the limitations that apply to all states in this category.

33. South Carolina

South Carolina makes the blue color available for only police vehicles, thus, it should not be visible anywhere outside the car.

34. South Dakota

South Dakota prohibits the use of blue lights aside from the restrictions we mentioned earlier.

35. Tennessee

Tennessee makes flashing lights available to emergency vehicles only. Car owners should also avoid any combination of white, amber, and red lights in front of the vehicle.

36. Texas

Texas restrictions do not allow flashing, rotating, or oscillating on civilian vehicles except for emergency lamps in cases of a traffic hazard.

37. Utah

Aside from the aforementioned restrictions which apply to all states in this category, the law in Utah does not contain any other notable restrictions on the use of LED lighting.

38. Vermont

Vermont requires car owners must not to use red, blue, or amber lights. After-market lights also must not emit over 4 candlelight power.

39. West Virginia

West Virginia demands the only color that can be visible from the rear of the vehicle is red and the front amber or white.

40. Wisconsin

Wisconsin demands that lights visible from the front of the vehicle should only be white or amber, while the light visible from the rear should be red.

41. Wyoming

Car owners in Wyoming should ensure all lights visible from the rear of the vehicle are red, while blue or red lights can’t be visible from the front of the car.

States Where Led Lights Inside Cars Are Illegal

Some states under this category allow LED lights in cars but not on public roads, while others disallow its adoption altogether.

42. Connecticut

Connecticut law demands drivers should not install any LED light in their vehicle, even if not in use.

Failure to adhere to this law may attract penalties from the state.

43. Illinois

Using LED lights in Illinois is illegal. However, the only aftermarket lights the state allows are up to two side cowl or fender lamps and one running board courtesy lamp on each side of the vehicle.

Note that these lights must emit only white or amber non-glaring light.

44. Maine

LED lights are only legal in Maine if car owners employ them for shows and exhibitions, but not when driving.

Maine strictly requires white or amber lights in the front, amber on the sides, and amber or red in the rear.

45. Massachusetts

Massachusetts only allows blue or flashing lights when there is a special permit for them.

Note that the punishment for disobeying Massachusetts law concerning LED lights or other after-market lights attracts a fine of not less than $100 and not over $300.

46. Michigan

The Michigan law prohibits additional lightning while driving on public roads. Owing to this, car owners can install LED lights in their cars, but the light must not be visible or lit when driving.

It is also illegal to use any kind of flashing light.

47. Minnesota

Minnesota only allows white or amber to be visible from the front and red or amber to be visible from the rear of vehicles.

48. Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania law completely prohibits using any lamp that the government did not specify in the law.

The law may penalize car owners that act otherwise.

49. Virginia

Virginia only permits an illumination sign aftermarket lighting on some specific delivery vehicles.

Where the owner included LED lights in their car, the law requires the lighting device to be unlit or have a covering.

50. Washington

Car owners can only employ LED lights when they park their vehicles on private properties in Washington.

However, owners should ensure the lights do not include red or blue lights and lights that flash or rotate.

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