Illinois vehicle lighting laws

Below are all relevant excerpts from Illinois Vehicle Code that limit and restrict the usage of after-market lights including street glow on vehicles.

Sections 12-207 to 12-211 include information on permitted car lighting, and Section 12-212 specifically restricts all additional vehicle lighting not included in other sections.

Sec. 12-209. Additional Lighting Equipment.

(a) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than 2 side cowl or fender lamps which shall emit an amber or white light without glare.

(b) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than one running board courtesy lamp on each side thereof which shall emit a white or amber light without glare.

(c) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with one or more back-up lamps either separately or in combination with other lamps; but any such back-up lamp or lamps shall not be lighted when the motor vehicle is in forward motion.

Sec. 12-212. Special restrictions on lamps.

(a) No person shall drive or move any vehicle or equipment upon any highway with any lamp or device on the vehicle or equipment displaying a red light visible from directly in front of the vehicle or equipment except as otherwise provided in this Act.

(b) Subject to the restrictions of this Act, flashing lights are prohibited on motor vehicles except as a means for indicating a right or left turn as provided in Section 12-208 or the presence of a vehicular traffic hazard requiring unusual care as expressly provided in Sections 11-804 or 12-215.

(c) Unless otherwise expressly authorized by this Code, all other lighting or combination of lighting on any vehicle shall be prohibited.

Sec. 12-215. Oscillating, rotating or flashing lights on motor vehicles. Except as otherwise provided in this Code:

(a) The use of red or white oscillating, rotating or flashing lights, whether lighted or unlighted, is prohibited except on:

• Law enforcement vehicles of State, Federal or local authorities;
• A vehicle operated by a police officer or county
• Vehicles of local fire departments and State or federal firefighting vehicles;
• Vehicles which are designed and used exclusively as ambulances or rescue vehicles
• […]

Similar restrictions exist for blue and amber lights.

Sec. 12-215.1. Possession of oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights in motor vehicles; police equipment, markings, and other indicia of emergency vehicle authority.

(a) A person, except those given exceptions in Section 12-215 or 12-609 of this Code, may not possess or be in actual physical control of oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights or other indicia of emergency vehicle authority within any portion of a motor vehicle, including but not limited to wig-wags, red and blue LEDs, sirens, mounted or affixed devices or other equipment, markings or indicia of emergency vehicle authority.

(b) A person found guilty of violating this Section is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.

Sec. 12-218. Auxiliary accent lighting on motorcycles.

(a) A motorcycle registered in this State may be equipped with, and a person operating the motorcycle may use, standard bulb running lights or light-emitting diode (L.E.D.) pods and strips as auxiliary lighting with the intent of protecting the driver.
(b) Auxiliary lighting authorized under subsection (a) of this Section:
(1) shall not project a beam of light of an intensity greater than 25 candlepower or its equivalent from a single lamp or single light-emitting diode (L.E.D.);
(2) shall not be directed horizontally;
(3) shall be so directed that no part of the beam will strike the level of the surface on which the motorcycle stands at a distance of more than 10 feet from the motorcycle;
(4) shall be directed towards the ground;
(5) shall not emit red or blue light;
(6) shall not be:
(A) blinking;
(B) flashing;
(C) oscillating; or
(D) rotating; and
(7) shall not be attached to the wheels of the motorcycle.

Penalties

As per 12-215.1, even mounting a vehicle with lights capable of producing red and blue illumination can be punishable and is considered a Class A misdemeanor. This is especially important for LED underglow which is typically capable of changing colors.