i will be moving to san diego at the end of the year and am wondering what kind of vehicle modification regulations california has. i was previously in hawaii and they had some regs on the reconstruction of vehicles. is there anything i have to worry about when putting flares and tires on my jeep when i get there. i plan to keep washington plates on when i get there so hopefully they will not make me smog (good thing i still have stock air box). a link to the info will suffice my need.

thanks in advance

 

There is no modification needed except for the California Emission Sticker. You will need to register and change your plates to CA plates if you reside in CA ( as well as get an emission test).

Go the the California DMV website, all the info you need are there.

 

yefs i am wondering if there is any regulations on tire coverage and other related items.

 

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, nor do I want to be one everything I say is to the best of my knowledge and might be absolutely wrong (I'd be grateful for any corrections), so please do not send me bills for the traffic citations

I went through a lot of vehicle regulations trying to find out what can make vehicle not street legal, here are some conclusions:
1. Lights - do not touch stock driving lights or stock fogs - any modifications, especially putting HID in them will most likely make them illegal. Not that you'll get pulled over for it on the first day though.
2. Short bumpers - in some states if the bumper does not reach the edges of the factory flares it violates the vehicle code. Does not seem to be the case in CA.
3. 3rd break light. I cannot find anything that says that you must have it visible. It appears that if 2 rear lights are in place and working you are Ok.
4. License plates - you must have front and rear, it cannot be swinging, but the location is quite liberal:
http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d03/vc5201.htm
5. Off-road lights - I just gave up deciphering the regulations - it is safer not to engage them on public roads. I guess that's why the caps are there - to prove beyond reasonable doubt that you are not using them on the road.
6. Doors - does not seem to be a problem. It appears that if the vehicle equipped with removable doors it is Ok to remove them anywhere in the US, California does not seem to care at all.
7. Emissions - you CANNOT register a newly purchased vehicle in CA if it is new (less than 7,500 miles) and it does not have manufacturer's CA emissions sticker. However if your vehicle was previously registered in another state and you are moving you are ok as long as you can provide proof of previous registration and proof of insurance.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/brochures...cts/ffvr29.htm
8. Lift/tires - again CA does not seem to care. Smog and emissions are the most important things to worry about, but I do not think smog check will be a problem for a rather new car.

I think I covered most of it...

 

From reading your post I am guessing that you are military and do not need to change your plates. If you can pass the emissions test you could get non-resident plates for way cheap. My non-residents were much cheaper then my old state.

 

I remember reading somewhere that Off road lights are OK without a cap on up to a certain height. Bumper lights are ok, but windshield lights, or light bars have to have a cap are they are too high... We have plenty of cops on the forum, I am sure at some pint one of them will chime in.

 

thank you for the link, my connection sucks overhere making it hard to get info quickly.

this is what i have found from that link.

Fenders and Mudguards
27600. No person shall operate any motor vehicle having three or more wheels, any trailer, or semitrailer unless equipped with fenders, covers, or devices, including flaps or splash aprons, or unless the body of the vehicle or attachments thereto afford adequate protection to effectively minimize the spray or splash of water or mud to the rear of the vehicle and all such equipment or such body or attachments thereto shall be at least as wide as the tire tread. This section does not apply to those vehicles exempt from registration, trailers and semitrailers having an unladen weight of under 1,500 pounds, or any vehicles manufactured and first registered prior to January 1, 1971, having an unladen weight of under 1,500 pounds.


Amended Ch. 215, Stats. 1970. Effective November 23, 1970

Passenger Vehicle Bumper Requirements
28071. Every passenger vehicle registered in this state shall be equipped with a front bumper and with a rear bumper. As used in this section, "bumper" means any device designed and intended by a manufacturer to prevent the front or rear of the body of the vehicle from coming into contact with any other motor vehicle. This section shall not apply to any passenger vehicle that is required to be equipped with an energy absorption system pursuant to either state or federal law, or to any passenger vehicle which was not equipped with a front or rear bumper, or both, at the time that it was first sold and registered under the laws of this or any other state or foreign jurisdiction.


Amended Ch. 451, Stats. 1973. Effective January 1, 1974

my interpretation of the fenders is that it needs to cover the main tire tread enough to prevent mud and water from spraying down the side of the vehicle, and mud flaps are needed to prevent spraying tailgaters.

as far as bumpers go i think you just need to have one, does not say anything about how wide.

again thanks for the links, if you have any more info that would help clear this up some i would greatly appreciate it.

 

NEGATIVE -

Auxiliary Lamps: Off-Highway Use
24411. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a vehicle may be equipped with not more than eight lamps for use as headlamps while the vehicle is operated or driven off the highway. The lamps shall be mounted at a height of not less than 16 inches from the ground, or more than 12 inches above the top of the passenger compartment, at any place between the front of the vehicle and a line lying on a point 40 inches to the rear of the seat occupied by the driver, shall be wired independently of all other lighting circuits, and, whenever the vehicle is operated or driven upon a highway, shall be covered or hooded with an opaque hood or cover, and turned of

 

Interesting. How do you define an 'off-highway use' light and an auxiliary driving light? If you mount below 42 inches what makes a light an off-road light and not an auxiliary driving light that is allowed under:

Auxiliary Driving and Passing Lamps

24402. (a) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not to exceed two auxiliary driving lamps mounted on the front at a height of not less than 16 inches nor more than 42 inches. Driving lamps are lamps designed for supplementing the upper beam from headlamps and may not be lighted with the lower beam.

(b) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not to exceed two auxiliary passing lamps mounted on the front at a height of not less than 24 inches nor more than 42 inches. Passing lamps are lamps designed for supplementing the lower beam from headlamps and may also be lighted with the upper beam.

I don't see a definition anywhere in the vehicle code. IF I were to mount two lights on my bumper, BELOW 42", wired to my high beams so as to turn OFF with high beams, what law would I be breaking?

 

See the "California Vehicle Code Violations" thread at https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...ode-Violations