When Are Headlights Required? The Rules Are Stricter Than 'When It's Dark'

Ask most drivers when headlights are required and they'll say "at night." The permit test wants something more specific, and the specifics vary by state: the time window around sunset, a visibility distance, and in most states a rule about windshield wipers.

The Time Window

Many states start the clock before it's fully dark:

• From 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise: California, Texas, New York and Georgia.
• From sunset to sunrise: Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, North Carolina and Michigan.

The Visibility Distance

Headlights are also required whenever you can't see far enough, even in the middle of the day. The distance differs:

• 1,000 feet: California, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
• 500 feet: Michigan.
• 400 feet: North Carolina.

Wipers On, Lights On

This is the rule people miss. In many states, if the weather is bad enough that you need your windshield wipers, you're legally required to have your headlights on too:

• California requires low beams whenever you need wipers because of fog, rain or snow.
• New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio and North Carolina all require headlights when wipers are in use because of weather.
• Florida's handbook tells you to turn on your headlights whenever you turn on your wipers.
• Georgia requires headlights any time it's raining.

Two details that also show up on tests: daytime running lights don't count as headlights (New York and Pennsylvania say so explicitly), and driving with only parking lights on is illegal.

Pennsylvania's Work Zone Rule

Pennsylvania requires headlights in every posted work zone, day or night, whether or not workers are present. It's an easy rule to forget if you learned to drive somewhere else.

When to Dim Your High Beams

Nearly every state uses 500 feet for an oncoming vehicle. For a vehicle you're following, the common number is 300 feet (California, Texas, Florida and Illinois). Georgia uses 200 feet.

In fog, rain or snow, use low beams even when no one is around. High beams bounce off the moisture in the air and make it harder to see.

The Short Version

If you're unsure, turn them on. The rule in every state leans the same way: headlights make you visible to others, and there's no penalty for using them when you didn't strictly need to.

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