Texas Headlight Laws: Is it Legal to Drive with Your Brights On?

Every car needs headlights, we know that. But when are you allowed to drive with your high-beams on? When are your headlights required to turn on at night? Are LED headlights really legal? All these and more are answered by experts much smarter than myself on the matter.

Texas Headlight Types, Colors, and Brightness

First off, Texas law requires every motor vehicle to have two headlights on the front that are 24 to 54 inches from the ground, according to ticketschool.com.

Also, vehicles may have no more than two mounted fog lights, but they must be aimed "at least four inches below the center level at a distance of 25 feet," so bring your ruler!

Texas law demands that all headlights be bright enough to see the road but not too bright where you blind other drivers. Here are some requirements when on Texas roads:

• Must have at least one white light on the front of vehicle that is visible from a distance of at least 1,000 feet
• Must have EITHER two red lights at the back of vehicle that can be see from at least 1,000 feet away, OR one red light on the rear along with two reflectors
• All Texas headlights must have a brightness between 500 and 3,000 candela

When should I turn on my headlights?

When visibility is less than 1,000 feet in rain, snow, or fog. Also, during nighttime within 30 min after sunset until 30 min before sunrise.

Are LED headlights legal?

Yes... as long as they are white lights that do NOT exceed 3,000 candela. If you feel like your headlights are too bright, you can always find out yourself. It could be that they are tilted too far up, causing issues on the road for other drivers.

Check out some tricks for testing the brightness and angle of your headlights from Better Automotive Lighting here.

Is it illegal to drive with your brights on?

Texas law states that, when driving on a road with other vehicles, you must turn off your bright beams within 500 feet of an incoming car driving the opposite direction or within 300 feet when coming up to a car in front you when traveling in the same direction.

And yes, these headlight requirements also apply to horse-drawn carriages...