The Equipment Stop
Transp. Code 547.302 — at nighttime, and whenever a person or vehicle is not clearly discernible at 1,000 feet
When the lights go on. A vehicle displays each lighted lamp and illuminating device the chapter requires at nighttime, and when light is insufficient or atmospheric conditions are unfavorable so that a person or vehicle on the highway is not clearly discernible at a distance of 1,000 feet ahead.
Four at most. Not more than four headlamps, or lamps projecting a beam brighter than 300 candlepower, may be lighted at one time on the front of a motor vehicle, and at least one lighted lamp is displayed on each side of the front.
The taillamps. A motor vehicle is equipped with at least two taillamps, mounted on the rear at a height from 15 to 72 inches, each emitting a red light plainly visible at a distance of 1,000 feet from the rear. A passenger car or truck manufactured before the model year 1960 needs at least one.
The plate lamp. A taillamp or a separate lamp emits a white light that illuminates the rear license plate and makes it clearly legible at a distance of 50 feet from the rear, and it must emit light whenever a headlamp or auxiliary driving lamp is lighted.
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 Texas attorney.
Sources for this section (2)
- Transp. Code 547.302 — Duty to display lights
- Transp. Code 547.322 — Taillamps required, and the plate lamp
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Texas attorney.