Arizona vehicle light laws live in Title 28 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, and they cover four things: what lamps and reflectors your vehicle must have, when you must use them, what colors and modifications are allowed, and what it costs you when something is wrong. Most violations are civil traffic infractions, but faulty lighting that contributes to a crash can escalate to a class 2 misdemeanor carrying up to four months in jail and a fine of up to $750.
When You Have to Turn Your Headlights On
Headlights are required from sunset to sunrise, and any other time visibility drops below 500 feet because of weather, dust, or similar conditions.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-922 – Applicability of Lighting Laws The rule applies to every class of vehicle on a public road. Daytime running lights on their own may not satisfy the requirement, because they often don’t activate the tail lamps. If in doubt, flip the switch manually.
The Lights Your Vehicle Must Have
Every motor vehicle other than a motorcycle needs 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, you need at least one tail lamp emitting red light visible from 500 feet behind the vehicle, mounted 15 to 72 inches high. A lamp (either separate or part of the tail lamp assembly) must light the rear license plate with white light readable from 50 feet.3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-925 – Tail Lamps
You also need at least one working stop lamp on the rear, emitting red or yellow light when you press the brake, visible from 100 feet day or night.4Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-939 – Signal Lamps and Devices Selling or driving a vehicle without one is prohibited.5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-927 – Stop Lamps Peace Officers Warnings
New motor vehicles other than truck tractors must carry two red reflectors on the rear, one on each side, mounted 20 to 60 inches high and visible at night from 50 to 300 feet when hit by headlights. Motorcycles need at least one.6Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-926 – New Motor Vehicles Reflectors
High Beams
Dim your high 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 considered glare-free at all times regardless of road conditions or load, which makes it the safe default in traffic.
Legal Colors and What You Can’t Show
Front clearance lamps, front marker lamps, and front reflectors must be amber. All rear lighting devices and reflectors must be red, with narrow statutory exceptions like backup lamps and the white plate light.8Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-931 – Lamp Colors
Nothing visible from directly ahead of the vehicle can display red or blue light or a red or blue lens. Lights visible from the front must be amber or white, and the only exception covers authorized emergency vehicles and certain law enforcement uses.9Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-947 – Special Restrictions on Lamps Colored LED strips, halo rings, or accent lights projecting red or blue toward the front are not street legal.
Flashing lights are also prohibited on motor vehicles except in narrow situations: emergency vehicles, school buses, snow removal equipment, disabled or parked vehicle warnings, and turn signals. Factory hazard flashers are legal because the statute separately authorizes hazard warning 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 headlamps, auxiliary driving lamps, or auxiliary passing lamps if it would reduce their visibility or change their color. Clear protective covers are the only exception.10Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-941 – Multiple Beam Road Lighting Equipment Arrangement Federal guidance lines up with the state color rules: the only permissible colors for required vehicle lighting are red, amber, and white, and accessory lighting cannot impair the effectiveness of required lamps.11National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Legg1 Interpretation of FMVSS No. 108
LED and HID Bulb Swaps
Aftermarket LED and HID bulbs dropped into a factory halogen housing are the most-asked question and the least clear-cut. At the federal level, 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.12National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 571.108 NCC-230201-001 LED Headlights M. Baker
NHTSA does not generally regulate modifications individuals make to their own vehicles, leaving enforcement to state law.12National 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.13Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-921 – Applicability of Equipment Requirements In practice, enforcement tends to focus on kits that produce excessive glare or an improper beam pattern rather than the bulb type by itself. Poorly aimed LED bulbs in reflector-style housings are the ones that draw stops, because the beam scatters into oncoming traffic instead of projecting down the road. Factory-installed LED headlamp assemblies, certified as complete units, are fully legal.
Underglow and Accent Lighting
Arizona does not specifically ban underglow. The statute allows additional parts and accessories as long as their use is not inconsistent with the lighting article.13Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-921 – Applicability of Equipment Requirements That phrase is where the limits come from. Underglow is legal when all of the following are true:
- 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 any required lamp.
- It follows the color rules: amber or white on the front, red on the rear.
White or amber glow on the sides is the safest choice legally. Blue anywhere visible from the front, red facing forward, or a flashing pattern crosses into territory reserved for emergency vehicles.
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:
- Auxiliary driving lamps: limited to two, mounted on the front between 16 and 42 inches above the ground.14Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-938 – Spot and Auxiliary Lamps
- Fog lamps: limited to two, mounted 12 to 30 inches high. The high-intensity portion of the beam on the left side cannot project higher than four inches below the lamp center at 25 feet ahead.14Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-938 – Spot and Auxiliary Lamps
Then there’s the total cap. No more than four lamps projecting more than 300 candlepower may be lit at the same time on a highway, regardless of type.15Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-946 – Number of Driving Lamps Required or Permitted That’s where aftermarket light bars run into trouble. A high-output LED bar easily exceeds 300 candlepower, and using it alongside your headlights on a paved road puts you over the cap. The common workaround is wiring the bar to a separate switch and keeping it off on public roads.
Trailers and Larger Vehicles
Buses, trucks, and trailers face additional requirements under A.R.S. 28-929 that scale with size and weight.16Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-929 – Additional Lighting Equipment Required on Certain Vehicles All buses and trucks need two rear reflectors and two stop lights. Vehicles 80 inches or wider add front and rear clearance lamps, side marker lamps at both ends of each side, and side reflectors; anything longer than 30 feet also needs a midpoint side marker and reflector. Trailers over 3,000 pounds gross weight need the same clearance-and-marker package plus rear reflectors and stop lights, while smaller trailers need only two rear reflectors, with stop lights required only if the load blocks the tow vehicle’s own stop lights.
Bicycles at Night
Bicycles ridden at night must carry 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. A rear red lamp visible from 500 feet is permitted but not required.17Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-817 – Bicycle Equipment
Penalties
Most lighting violations are civil traffic infractions under Arizona’s general equipment statute, which makes it illegal to drive with improper or missing lighting or to equip a vehicle in any way that violates the lighting article.13Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-921 – Applicability of Equipment Requirements Fines depend on the court and jurisdiction.
Stop lamps get one break the rest of the rules don’t. A first stop lamp violation is not a civil traffic violation and cannot result in a citation; an officer may issue a warning or a notice to repair instead.5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-927 – Stop Lamps Peace Officers Warnings That grace period is stop-lamp specific. A burned-out headlight or an illegal color can still draw a citation on the first stop.
The stakes rise sharply if faulty lighting contributes to a collision. Driving with reckless disregard for the safety of others is reckless driving, a class 2 misdemeanor,18Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-693 – Reckless Driving Violation Classification carrying up to four months in jail19Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-707 – Misdemeanors Sentencing and a fine of up to $750.20Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-802 – Fines A judge can also suspend driving privileges for up to 90 days.