Maryland Auxiliary Lights: Fog, Driving and Spot Lamp Limits

The three lamp types Maryland names have different allowances. A spot lamp is limited to one per vehicle and must be aimed so that no part of the high-intensity portion of the beam falls to the left of the prolongation of the extreme left side of the vehicle or more than 100 feet ahead. Fog lamps are capped at two, mounted on the front at not more than 30 inches nor less than 12 inches above the level surface, aimed so that at 25 feet ahead nothing to the left of centre projects higher than 4 inches below the centre of the lamp; they may be run with low beams under § 22-222(a)(2). Auxiliary driving lamps are also capped at two, mounted 16 to 42 inches above the surface. Section 22-217(d) lifts all of it for emergency vehicles.

Two separate sections impose the same four-lamp ceiling: § 22-222(a)(4) bars illuminating more than four lamps over 300 candlepower simultaneously, and § 22-226(b) repeats it for a vehicle whose required headlamps are supplemented by auxiliary lamps, a spot lamp or any other front lamp over that intensity. Section 22-227(a) then constrains aim rather than count, requiring any other lighted lamp over 300 candlepower to be directed so that no part of its high-intensity portion strikes the roadway more than 75 feet from the vehicle.

Colour is where Maryland is unforgiving. Section 22-227(b) prohibits driving with any lamp or device displaying a red or blue light visible from directly in front of its centre, § 22-227(d) prohibits any lamp displaying a white light visible directly from the rear, and § 22-227(f) requires every rear-mounted lighting device and reflector to show red, except turn signals and hazard lamps which may be red, amber or yellow, the registration plate lamp which must be white, and the backup lamp which is white. Flashing is banned twice over, by § 22-227(c) and § 22-227(e), except as the Maryland Vehicle Law itself permits. Section 22-218(c)(1) is that permission, and it is a closed list keyed to the operator: red, white or blue for police and other law enforcement agencies, red and white for fire departments, rescue squads and ambulances, yellow or amber for service vehicles, waste and recycling collection vehicles, rural letter carriers, slow moving farm vehicles and tow trucks, green for a stationary emergency vehicle serving as a mobile command post, and flashing green on taxicabs as hold-up lights under § 22-218(g). Section 22-218(e) makes the point explicit: that flashing lighting may not be used on any vehicle other than an emergency vehicle, service vehicle or school vehicle.

Motorcycles have a specific Maryland allowance that cars do not. Under § 22-221(l) a motorcycle may be equipped with blue dot illumination, standard bulb running lights, or light-emitting diode pods and strips added to protect the driver. The conditions are exact: the lighting must be nonblinking, nonflashing, nonoscillating and directed toward the engine and the drive train, it may not be attached to the wheels, and it may not emit a red or blue light. Blue dot illumination may sit only on the rear of the motorcycle as part of or adjacent to the rear brake light, and may not exceed three-quarters of an inch in diameter. For all vehicles, § 22-221(a) to (c) separately permit not more than two side cowl or fender lamps emitting amber or white light without glare at or near the front, one running-board courtesy lamp per side, and backup lamps that may not be lit while the vehicle is moving forward.

The inspection standard adds a rule that catches off-road builds. COMAR 11.14.02.10D, the auxiliary lighting item in the Maryland Vehicle Inspection standards for passenger cars, light trucks, vans and multipurpose passenger vehicles, repeats the 12 to 30 inch fog lamp band and the 16 to 42 inch driving lamp band and provides that a vehicle is rejected if it carries more than two operable fog lamps or more than two auxiliary driving lamps. It then states that auxiliary driving lamps mounted on a roll bar or roof for off-road use may remain in place but may not be connected to an electrical source. The same regulation notes that a spot lamp is not treated as an auxiliary driving lamp, has no mounting height set by law, and therefore is not inspected. Selling non-conforming lamps is its own offence: § 22-230(a) bars offering for sale any headlamp, auxiliary or fog lamp, rear lamp, signal lamp or reflector, or parts of them, that tend to change the original design or performance, and § 22-101(c) bars selling equipment that requires the MVA Administrator’s approval unless it has been approved.

Driving with lighting that breaks these limits is a violation of Title 22, which § 22-101(a)(1)(iii) frames as being equipped in a manner in violation of the title. That is a misdemeanour under § 27-101(a) with a fine of up to $500 under § 27-101(b). An officer who sees it may also issue a safety equipment repair order under § 23-105, which gives the owner 10 days to correct the lighting at a shop of the owner’s choosing and to send a repair order certification to the Automotive Safety Enforcement Division of the Maryland State Police; failure to comply within 30 days leads to suspension of the vehicle’s registration under § 23-105(e)(2)(i).

Unlawful emergency-style lighting carries an extra sanction: § 22-218(c)(13)(iii) provides that in addition to the Title 27 penalties, a person convicted of violating that section may have driving privileges suspended for 30 days and the vehicle registration suspended for 30 days, and it puts the registration suspension on the owner unless the owner proves to the Administration that they had no control over the use or display of the light. 10D is a rejection item, so a third fog lamp or a powered roof-mounted light bar stops the sale paperwork rather than merely risking a ticket.