Is it legal to drive with Christmas lights on your car in Missouri or Illinois?

ST. LOUIS - You might be tempted to decorate your car with Christmas lights to embrace the holiday spirit. But keep in mind: Depending on how it's done, it might not be the safest or most legal way to celebrate.

While there are no federal laws that explicitly prohibit decorating cars with Christmas lights, using them could pose safety challenges by potentially obstructing visibility, lighting, or other essential vehicle functions, which indirectly may make it illegal.

That said, in regards to Christmas lights on cars, laws are left up to states and local municipalities.

For Missouri and Illinois, the two states of the St. Louis metropolitan area, there are also no clear-cut laws that expressly outlaw Christmas lights on cars, but violating certain conditions of both states' driving codes through extra lighting could land one in trouble.

Missouri

According to Missouri Statute 307,100, "Any lighted lamp or illuminating device upon a motor vehicle other than headlamps, spotlamps, front direction signals or auxiliary lamps which project a beam of light of an intensity greater than three hundred candlepower shall be so directed that no part of the beam will strike the level of the roadway."

Essentially, if you placed Christmas lights on your vehicle in Missouri that were excessively bright or improperly directed, you could be subject to a violation.

Illinois

According to Illinois Vehicle Code Section 625 ILCS 5/12-201, "A person shall install only head lamps that satisfy United States Department of Transportation regulations and show white light, including that emitted by HID lamps, or light of a yellow or amber tint for use by a motor vehicle."

That section of the vehicle code also states that all vehicles must have two functioning headlamps in the front of the vehicle that show white, yellow, or amber-tinted lights.

Essentially, if you placed Christmas lights on your vehicle in Illinois that interfere with the visibility of lighting as required by state law or emit non-compliant colors (like green, red or blue), you could be subject to a violation.

Other considerations

Beyond state laws, it's important to be mindful of county and municipal ordinances that could further restrict or offer guidance on the use of decorative vehicle lighting.

The context in which lights are used also matters. For instance, having a Christmas-lighted car parked in a driveway or used in a small-structured holiday parade, provided all other state laws are followed, could be more permissable than driving in ordinary traffic with Christmas lights actively in use on the car.

All in all, it's best to resist the temptation of decorating your car with Christmas lights in any case where such a decision could pose a hazard to you or other drivers, in addition to pushing the boundaries of other state traffic laws.