The Equipment Stop
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 307.040 — lighted lamps when required, and only ten dollars for the weather rule
Lamps when required. No person drives, moves, parks or is in custody of a vehicle on a street or highway during the times when lighted lamps are required unless it displays the lighted lamps and illuminating devices the chapter requires.
The weather fine. A violation is an infraction, and a person who violates the section as it relates to lighted lamps required due to weather conditions or fog is fined only ten dollars, with no court costs assessed.
The rear lamps. Every motor vehicle has at least two rear lamps, not less than fifteen inches or more than seventy-two inches above the ground, exhibiting a red light plainly visible from a distance of five hundred feet to the rear, and the rear registration marker is lit with a white light so it is clearly legible from a distance of fifty feet.
Knowing it is out. A person who knowingly operates a motor vehicle without the required lamps in operable condition is guilty of an infraction.
Other equipment the code requires, from brakes to mirrors, is set out in other sections that are not on this page. Whether a lamp was out, or the conditions called for lights, is a question of fact, and whether a stop on that basis was lawful is a question for a licensed Missouri attorney.
Sources for this section (2)
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 307.040 — When lights are required, and the weather fine
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 307.075 — Rear lamps and the registration plate lamp
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Missouri attorney.