City of Bedford Police Department: Motor Vehicle Equipment Guide

James E. Day Chief of Police James R. Bennett Captain F. Todd Foreman Lieutenant Cynthia Hedrick Administrative Assistant Kelly Mitchell Records Clerk Phone Number: (540) 587-6011 Fax Number: (540) 586-7198

The Police Department encourages new residents and new drivers to check state and local motor vehicle equipment laws prior to making any modifications to their motor vehicles. This page is not all inclusive and is intended as a guide to point out some of the more frequently violated motor vehicle equipment laws. More information may be found by searching the Code of Virginia and the Virginia State Police web pages.

• Loud exhausts are generating an increasing number of complaints. Due to their popularity, many areas are no longer the quiet and peaceful retreats they use to be. This has resulted in police agencies across the state implementing stricter enforcement policies toward exhaust systems.
• A motor vehicle is required to have an exhaust system of a type that was originally installed as factory equipment on that particular motor vehicle.
• An exhaust system is illegal if it allows the escape of noise in excess of that permitted by the vehicle's original factory equipped exhaust system.
• This includes motorcycles, trucks and passenger cars.
• Straight pipes are illegal even though they may pass inspection. The purpose of vehicular inspections is safety not to regulate noise.
• Champered pipes, gutted mufflers, glass packs, & mufflers without baffles are illegal.

• All lighting must be approved by the Superintendent of the Virginia State Police or by the Society of Automobile Engineers (S.A.E.). Approved parts will have an SAE number recorded on the parts. Generally green, blue, purple, red flashing lights, amber flashing lights and white flashing lights are not permitted on private vehicles. Neon lights are illegal unless covered and unlit. Tinted or colored material may not be placed over the headlights. Covers, including those with names, emblems or other designs cannot be placed over any light unless equipped as standard equipment by the factory.
• License plates are required on both the front and rear of all passenger vehicles. Placing them in the rear or front glass is not permitted. Placing decals on or altering license plates are not permitted. Tinted or faded covers are not permitted. Rear tag lights are required. Motorcycles require license plates that can be viewed from the rear. Placing license plate vertically is not permitted.
• Studded tires may be used between Oct. 15th and April 15th of each year.
• No sun-shading material may be applied if it extends more than 3 inches from the top of the windshield, then only to replace the factory sun-shading. Material applied to rear windows cannot reduce the light transmittance to less that 35%. Front side windows sun-shading cannot reduce the light transmittance to less than 50%.
• Sirens and Exhaust whistles are illegal on private passenger vehicles unless used as alarms and installed to prohibit activation while the vehicle is moving.
• Bumper height must be between 14 & 22 inches on passenger vehicles and 9 to 22 inches on street rods. Trucks weighting under 4,501 lbs must be between 14 and 28 inches and trucks between 4,501 lbs and 7,500 lbs between 14 and 29 inches on the front and 14 and 30 inches on the back. No matter what the height, a vehicle's body is not permitted to come in contact with the vehicle's wheels, ground or exposes the gas tank. No vehicle can be raised more that 3 inches above its frame rail. Lift blocks are not permitted.
• City noise ordinance prohibits the use of a vehicle's radio from being played at a level that can be heard more than 50 feet from the vehicle. The ordinance also prohibits the spinning of tires, the unnecessary racing of a motor vehicle engine and the excessive gaining of speed that creates unnecessary engine noise.

Due to limited space, every law or regulation that relates to motor vehicle equipment cannot be covered on this page. It is recommended that the Code of Virginia, the Bedford City Ordinance and/or the Virginia Inspection Manual be reviewed prior to adding or removing any equipment from a motor vehicle.