Is It Legal In Texas To Decorate Your Vehicle With Christmas Lights?

There is a good chance you've already seen Christmas decorations going up on a few homes in your neighborhood. Just about every night I drive home there are at least one or two new homes with Christmas lights on. Even my lights went up on the house last week.

And for those who like to channel their inner Clark Griswold, you don't stop with Christmas lights on the house. You always want to add more. And for some that means decorating their car, truck, or SUV. While some will maybe put a wreath on the grill of the truck, others will go with the fake antlers, and then others will want to go all out. And that means Christmas lights on their vehicles. But is that legal in Texas?

Is It Legal In Texas To Drive With Christmas Lights On Your Vehicle?

This is one of those questions that fall into a gray area for many police departments, and depending on how wild you get, could just be inviting the police to pull you over.

We reached out to a local police department and asked if people could drive around with Christmas lights on their vehicle. The answer wasn't very clear.

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According to this officer we spoke with, there are "several traffic code statutes that are relevant to the topic, but non that address it specifically." Even when it comes to just driving around with a wreath attached to your truck, there is nothing that specifically addresses it. I'll list those statutes below.

Use Common Sense If Decorating Your Vehicle

But there does seem to be some common sense things to think about. For example, a string of small white lights around a luggage rack might be okay. But multi-colored lights all over the car? That could lead to a fine as it did for one man in 2017, though that was in South Carolina. In 2018, a police officer in Port Arthur wrote in an advice column that you can have Christmas lights on your vehicle, as long as they are turned off while driving. Though he doesn't point to any statute of law for reasoning.

Another common sense item to stay away from? Flashing red lights on the front of your vehicle. Police take flashing red lights seriously, so it's best to stay away from them. Also, no decorations that obstruct your view.

Now, if your vehicle is just sitting and used as decoration? Go ahead and put lights all over it.

Texas Traffic Lights Statutes

Traffic Code 547.302 Duty to Display Lights - Drivers are not permitted to have more than four lamps “lighted” to the front of their vehicle while driving. However, the light must project a beam with an intensity brighter than 300 candlepower to be classified as a lamp.

Traffic Code 547.303 Color Requirements - A motor vehicle lamp or illuminating device, other than a headlamp, spot lamp, auxiliary lamp, turn signal lamp, or emergency vehicle, tow truck, or school bus warning lamp, that projects a beam with an intensity brighter than 300 candlepower shall be directed so that no part of the high-intensity portion of the beam strikes the roadway at a distance of more than 75 feet from the vehicle.

(b)  Except as expressly authorized by law, a person may not operate or move equipment or a vehicle, other than a police vehicle, with a lamp or device that displays a red light visible from directly in front of the center of the equipment or vehicle.

Traffic Code 547.332 Other Lamps Permitted -  A motor vehicle may be equipped with:

(1)  not more than two side cowl or fender lamps that emit an amber or white light without glare;

(2)  not more than two running board courtesy lamps, one on each side of the vehicle, that emit an amber or white light without glare;  and

(3)  one or more backup lamps that:

(A)  emit an amber or white light only when the vehicle is not moving forward;  and

(B)  may be displayed separately or in combination with another lamp.