Passenger Vehicle Equipment Information

This page will provide you with rules and regulations governing equipment, and after market equipment on vehicles, and special motor vehicles . Please click on the links below to find the information you are looking for or visit our page of Frequently Asked Questions.

For a printable brochure explaining these laws, please click here.

Required Equipment

• Fenders - Shall cover the entire tread width, at least 15 degrees to the front, and 75 degrees to the rear. Shall extend down to at least the center of the axle. RCW 46.37.500 & WAC 204-90-040

• Hood – With both primary and secondary latches RCW 46.37.517 & WAC 204-90-040

• Doors – With door latches. RCW 46.37.517 & WAC 204-90-040

• Floor Pans – Under the entire passenger compartment, capable of supporting the weight of the number of passengers that the vehicle is designed to hold. WAC 204-90-040

• Defroster/Defogger – All vehicles, after 1938, must be equipped with a working defroster/defogger. WAC 204-90-040

* Optional on street rods (not less than 40 years old) and kit vehicles, operated on improved roads, and in “good” weather. RCW 46.37.518 & WAC 204-90-040

Window Tinting / Sunscreening

• Sunscreening devices are products, permanent, semi-permanent, and temporary, which reduce the adverse effects of the sun. WAC 204-82A-040

• Materials not permitted;
• Mirror finish products
• Red, Yellow, Gold, or Black material
• Brushed or sprayed on material. RCW 46.37.430

• Sunscreening devices and/or recreational products may not be applied to, or suspended between the driver and the windshield, or to the windows to the immediate right and left of the driver. Recreational products may be applied to other windows only if they do not interfere, by their size and/or position with the driver’s ability to see other vehicles, persons, and objects. WAC 204-82A-040 & 204-82A-050

• Must have both left and right side-view mirrors if window tinting is applied, allowing a 200’ view to the rear.. RCW 46.37.430 & WAC 204-82A-050

• The maximum level of sunscreening material to be applied to any window, except the windshield, shall have a total reflectance of 35% or less ( +3%), and a light transmittance of 35% or more ( +3%) resulting in a minimum of 24% light transmission on AS-2 glazing. RCW 46.37.430
  • Exemption – Doctor’s orders. RCW 46.37.43 0
• A greater degree of sunscreening may be applied to the top 6” of the windshield. RCW 46.37.430

View Obstruction  (Visors, stickers, hood scoops, mud, and all other after market items.)

• No items except the hood ornament and windshield wipers, identical to those originally installed by a recognized manufacturer, shall project more than 2” above a line from the top of the steering wheel to the top of the front fenders or hood. WAC 204-90-050

• No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any sign, poster, or other non-transparent material upon the front windshield, side wings, or side or rear windows of the vehicle that obstructs the driver’s clear view of the highway or intersecting highway. RCW 46.37.410 & WAC 204-82A-050

Fender Flares & Anti-Spray Devices

• Required – All vehicles, trailers, and semi-trailers must be equipped with fenders, covers, flaps, or splash aprons adequate for minimizing the spray or splash of water and mud to the rear if the vehicle. All such devices shall be as wide as the tires behind which they are mounted, and extend down to at least the center of the axle. (See required equipment for exceptions)

Are not included in the total maximum width of 8’6” for motor vehicle.

See Projections RCW 46.37.500

Projections

• Wheels – No vehicle may be equipped with wheel nuts, hubcaps, or wheel discs extending outside the body of the vehicle when viewed from directly above which:

  • Incorporate winged projections; or
  • Constitute a hazard to pedestrians and cyclists.
  RCW 46.37.369

• Body, Fender, and Bumpers – Shall be maintained without protrusions that could be hazardous to pedestrians. Bumpers shall not extend past the original bumper line. RCW 46.37.517

• Safety appliances – Such as clearance lights, flexible fender extensions, mud flaps, splash and spray inhibiting devices, and others may not extend more than 3” beyond the extreme limits of the body. RCW 46.44.010

• Rear Vision Mirror – Shall not extend more than 5” beyond the extreme limits of the body. RCW 46.44.010

• To the Front – Load shall not extend beyond 3’ (Read for exemptions RCW 46.44.034 )

• To the Rear – Load shall not extend more than 15’ beyond the center of the last axle. RCW 46.44.034  

• Outside load Limits – No passenger type vehicle shall be operated with any of the load extending past the fender line on the left side, nor more than 6” past the fender line on the right side of the vehicle. RCW 46.44.060

Height Requirements

• Minimum Height - No part of the vehicle may be lower than the lowermost portion of the rim of any wheel in contact with the roadway. RCW 46.61.680

• Maximum Heights -

*Bumper (4.5” min. width)	Front	Rear
GVWR 7501 – 10,000	28”	30”
GVWR 4501 – 7,500	27”	29”
GVWR 0 – 4500	24”	26”
Car	22”	22”

*(Measured from ground to the bottom of the bumper) WAC 204-90-040

• Body Lift – 3” maximum spacer, with body not raised more than 4” above frame when installation is complete. WAC 204-90-120

• Headlights - Every headlamp on every motor vehicle shall be located not more than 54”, nor less than 24” from the ground to the center of the light. RCW 46.37.040
• Taillights – Between 15” and 72” off the ground. RCW 46.37.050 & WAC 204-72-040
• Fog Lamps – Between 12” and 30” off the ground. RCW 46.37.180 & WAC 204-72-040
• Auxiliary Passing Lamps – Between 24” and 42” off the ground. RCW 46.37.180 & WAC 204-72-040 (Shall not be used in lieu of headlamps WAC 204-72-060 )
• Auxiliary Driving Lamps – Between 16” and 42” off the ground. RCW 46.37.180 & WAC 204-72-040 (Shall not be used in lieu of headlamps WAC 204-72-060 )
• Rear Reflectors – between 15” and 72” off the ground RCW 46.37.060 & WAC 204-90-140

Lights (Color, location, and number)

• Covers – No additional lamp, reflective device, or other motor vehicle equipment shall be added which impairs the effectiveness of the lamp standard. See individual lamp RCW/WAC Headlamp

• Concealment Device – Shall be fully opened in not more than 3 seconds after the actuation of a driver operated control. FMVSS 108 S12.5

• Front – A maximum of four of the below listed lamps may be on at one time. WAC 204-90-140 & RCW 46.37.270
  • Head lamps –
    • Required to be on from ½ hour after sunset, to ½ hour before sunrise, and at any other times when persons and vehicles are not clearly discernable at 1000 ft. RCW 46.37.020
    • If installed after 1975, not closer than 12” from the centerline of the vehicle, but as far apart as practicable. If customized, then no closer than at the time of manufacture. WAC 204-72-040
  • Fog Lamps – Two or less, with the inner edge of the lens retaining rings no closer than 4” to the optical center of the front turn signal lamp. RCW 46.37.180 & WAC 204-72-040
  • Auxiliary Passing Lamps – Two or less. RCW 46.37.180 & WAC 204-72-040
  • Auxiliary Driving Lamps – Two or less. RCW 46.37.180 & WAC 204-72-040
  • Spot Lamps – Two or less. RCW 46.37.180

• Side Marker Lamps - Not Required on vehicles under 80” in width, but if present must be amber to the front, and red to the rear only. RCW 46.37.210 (46.37.100 if over 80”)

• Rear -
• Tail Lamps - Required to be on from ½ hour after sunset, to ½ hour before sunrise, and at any other times when persons and vehicles are not clearly discernable at 1000 ft. RCW 46.37.020
• At least two, red in color, visible from 1000 RCW 46.37.05
• All must be on same level and as widelyspaced as possible. RCW 46.37.050
• On vehicle 40 or more years old, may have a blue or purple insert, not more than one inch in diameter. RCW 46.37.100
• Brake / Stop Lamps – At least two if assembled after 1964. Red, amber or any shade between, visible from 300’(daylight) after 01/01/60. RCW 46.37.200
• Turn lamps – A total of four, one on each side, front and back, after 01-01-60 . Red, amber or any shade between, red, amber or any shade between, visible from at least 500’(daylight) RCW 46.37.200
• License Lamp - White in color only, rendering license legible from 50’. WAC 204-90-140 & RCW 46.37.050

Other After-Market Lighting Devices

• Neon Lights - After market neon lighting devices may not be used on motor vehicles while they are in motion on public roads. WAC 204-90-140

• Signs / Message boards – May not be lighted, or electronically powered on any motor vehicle while on the public right-of-way. (Taxi cabs exempted) WAC 204-65-030

If you are unable to get your questioned answered by this Web site, please e-mail them to equipment@wsp.wa.gov.