Celica Forums General Discussion General is it illegal...

is it illegal to remove your sidemarkers entirely...i was thinking about molding the holes and not having any...i didnt know if it was illegal not to have any because cops wouldnt know if it was stock or not...i know you cant have the clear/white bulb side markers...j/w

i'm pretty sure it aint because theres lots of cars without sidemarkers

you might want to check with your state laws... do a google search or something... i'm not sure whether it is or not... but i don't have them on my car either... (but i'm in PA) i've never gotten pulled over for it though

Im pretty sure a car that doesn't have headlights that wrap around the bumper have to have sidemarkers. It's for safety.

From the CHP website, I know that in CA if you have them, they have to be amber and clear corners are not allowed. I did not read anything about it being illegal to remove the clear corners and make it appear they wouldn't have to be there. And even if it were, how would they know? The cop would have to know the Celica extremely well. And I don't believe there is a law that says if the headlights don't wrap around then there have to be clear corners on the car. maybe a precaution but not a law. But EVEN then, it would take the most bored cop to look for that instead of being out hunting for the easy speeding ticket revenue generation (I know I know some cops are really anal). the fact is cops don't question whether corner lenses should be there if they aren't there.

mine are shaved on my trd bumper. some aftermarket bumpers don't even have a spot for corner lenses, which is not to say it's not illegal, but just to point out.

Yes, its probably in some way, shape, or form illegal in some states or mabye the whole country. You do have to ask, is someone really gonna notice?

Yeah, I think side markers are pretty much required by law.

negative...not all cars come equipped with sidemarkers

so the ones without sidemarkers have wrap around headlamps, that are equiped with an amber reflector visable from the side.

Cant find any federal standards but this is CALI which is pretty picky (i think) when it comes to motor vehicles

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cacodes/veh/25100-25110.html

California Codes
California Vehicle Code
VEHICLE CODE SECTION 25100-25110


25100. (a) Except as provided in subdivisions (b) and (d), every
vehicle 80 inches or more in overall width shall be equipped during
darkness as follows:
(1) At least one amber clearance lamp on each side mounted on a
forward-facing portion of the vehicle and visible from the front and
at least one red clearance lamp on each side mounted on a
rearward-facing portion of the vehicle and visible from the rear.
(2) At least one amber side-marker lamp on each side near the
front and at least one red side-marker lamp on each side near the
rear.
(3) At least one amber side-marker lamp on each side at or near
the center on trailers and semitrailers 30 feet or more in length and
which are manufactured and first registered after January 1, 1962.
Any such vehicle manufactured and first registered prior to January
1, 1962, may be so equipped.
(4) At least one amber side-marker lamp mounted at approximate
midpoint of housecars, motortrucks, and buses 30 or more feet in
length and manufactured on or after January 1, 1969. Any such
vehicle manufactured prior to January 1, 1969, may be so equipped.
(5) Combination clearance and side-marker lamps mounted as
side-marker lamps and meeting the visibility requirements for both
types of lamps may be used in lieu of required individual clearance
or side-marker lamps.
(b) The following vehicles when 80 inches or more in overall width
and not equipped as provided in subdivision (a) shall be equipped
during darkness as follows:
(1) Truck tractors shall be equipped with at least one amber
clearance lamp on each side on the front of the cab or sleeper and
may be equipped with amber side-marker lamps on each side.
(2) Truck tractors manufactured on or after January 1, 1969, shall
be equipped with one amber side-marker lamp on each side near the
front.
(3) Pole or pipe dollies, or logging dollies, shall be equipped
with at least one combination clearance and side-marker lamp on each
side showing red to the front, side, and rear.
(4) Vehicles, except truck tractors, which are 80 inches or more
in width over a distance not exceeding three feet from front to rear
shall be equipped with at least one amber combination clearance lamp
and side-marker lamp on each side visible from the front, side, and
rear if the projection is near the front of the vehicle and at least
one red lamp if the projection is near the rear of the vehicle.
(5) Towing motor vehicles engaged in driveaway-towaway operations
shall be equipped with at least one amber clearance lamp at each side
on the front and at least one amber side-marker lamp on each side
near the front.
(6) Towed motor vehicles engaged in driveaway-towaway operations
shall be equipped with at least one amber side-marker lamp on each
side of intermediate vehicles, and the rearmost vehicle shall be
equipped with at least one red side-marker lamp on each side and at
least one red clearance lamp on each side on the rear.
(7) Trailers and semitrailers designed for transporting single
boats in a cradle-type mounting and for launching the boat from the
rear of the trailer need not be equipped with front and rear
clearance lamps provided amber clearance lamps showing to the front
and red clearance lamps showing to the rear are located on each side
at or near the midpoint between the front and rear of the trailer to
indicate the extreme width of the trailer.
(c) Loads extending beyond the side of a vehicle where the overall
width of the vehicle and load is 80 inches or more shall be equipped
with an amber combination clearance and side-marker lamp on the side
at the front and a red combination clearance and side-marker lamp on
the side at the rear. In lieu of the foregoing requirement,
projecting loads not exceeding three feet from front to rear at the
extreme width shall be equipped with at least one amber combination
clearance and side-marker lamp on the side visible from the front,
side, and rear if the projection is near the front of the vehicle and
at least one red lamp if the projection is near the rear of the
vehicle.
(d) Clearance and side-marker lamps are not required on auxiliary
dollies or on passenger vehicles other than a housecar.
(e) Clearance lamps shall be visible from all distances between
500 feet and 50 feet to the front or rear of the vehicle, and
side-marker lamps shall be visible from all distances between 500
feet and 50 feet to the side of the vehicle.
(f) Clearance lamps shall, so far as is practicable, be mounted to
indicate the extreme width of the vehicle. Side-marker lamps shall
be mounted not lower than 15 inches on vehicles manufactured on and
after January 1, 1968. Combination clearance and side-marker lamps
required on loads shall be mounted so the lenses project to the outer
extremity of the vehicle or load.

i did more looking
http://www.thecre.com/fedlaw/legal28.htm

apparently specific details about a car is governed by the state so there are no federal regulations reguarding a cars light that i could tell, maybe you can find something i didnt but i just skimmed over it... so there you are...

To hell with cali and thier damn rules. I would kill myself if i lived there!!

LOL well i figured Cali would be more useful then what i found for Oregon... its a matter of population differential. But thats just me... so much for being helpful

Some cars sidemarkers dont come stock amber though. Evo and Jetta side markers come clear stock

I guess Evo headlights wrap around enough but some volkswagons dont have wrap around head lights and they have clear side markers

it's not illegal to remove sidemarkers... 1/2 of cars today didn't come with sidemarkers!