questions about taillights/ front plate for any TX L.E.O.

[mrmahal]

what is the rule or reg regarding tailights and their tint? I only ask b'cause I was pulled over for my tails being "too dark". Also, i was told that the front plate needed to be mounted and not sitting on the dash. you can read about it in the thread in general discussion if you want.
just want some clarification on those subjects.

Here is a pic of my tail light.
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m18/ma_hal/DSC_0263.jpg

[Green_Manalishi]

Sorry I missed your post!

Tail light housings:
You have two issues with the housings: The lamp illumination and the integrated reflector.

The tail lamps must be visible as outlined in TRC 547.322: "A tail lamp shall emit a red light plainly visible at a distance of 1,000 feet from the rear of the vehicle."

The stop lamps must be visible as outlined in TRC 547.323: "A stop lamp shall be visible in normal sunlight at a distance of at least 300 feet from the rear of the vehicle."

The red reflector must be visible as outlined in TRC 547.325: "A rear reflector must be visible at night at all distances from 100 to 600 feet when directly in front of lawful lower beams of headlamps."

Front License Plate:
The front license plate must be displayed "at the front" as described in TRC 502.404: "A person commits an offense if the person operates on a public highway during a registration period a passenger car or commercial motor vehicle that does not display two license plates, at the front and rear of the vehicle."

The code does not say the plate has to be mounted or attached. However, if the license plate is obscured due to the angular visibility, or from being tucked behind the windshield wiper, that is a violation. See TRC 502.049: "...has a coating, covering, protective material, or other apparatus that distorts angular visibility or detectability; alters or obscures one-half or more of the name of the state in which the vehicle is registered; or alters or obscures the letters or numbers of the license plate number or the color of the plate."

The complete code can be found here: http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/

I hope this helps!

[U2SLOW4ME]

There is recent case law in Texas regarding the plate in the front window. Basically it says it's ok as long as it can be read.