Oregon Law
Law as of Jan 1, 2026
Chapter contents
816.010Authority to adopt and enforce standards for lighting equipment; testing for compliance with standards 816.020Motor carriers under jurisdiction of Department of Transportation 816.030Selling noncomplying lighting equipment; penalty 816.040Lighting equipment standards; effect of rules 816.050Headlights; rules 816.060Auxiliary lights 816.070Passing lights 816.080Taillights 816.090Registration plate lights 816.100Brake lights 816.110Back-up lights 816.120Turn signals 816.130Parking lights 816.140Cowl or fender lights 816.150High beam indicator 816.160Rear mounted lighting system 816.170Spotlights 816.180Reflectors 816.190Marker lights 816.200Clearance lights 816.210Identification lights 816.220Exempt-vehicle safety lighting equipment 816.230Fog lights 816.240Hazard lights 816.250Police lights 816.260Bus safety lights 816.270Mail delivery lights 816.280Warning lights 816.285Fire department warning lights 816.290End load lights 816.300Operation with nonstandard lighting equipment; penalty 816.310Exemptions from lighting equipment requirements 816.320Lighting equipment required for motor vehicles 816.330Operation without required lighting equipment; penalty 816.340Exemptions from required equipment 816.350Prohibitions on number and kind of lights for certain vehicles 816.360Use of prohibited lighting equipment; penalty 816.370Exemptions from lighting equipment prohibitions

Chapter 816 — Vehicle Equipment: Lights

ORS 816.080 Taillights

(1)

Taillights shall be mounted on the rear of a vehicle.

(2)

Except as otherwise provided in this section, when lighted, taillights shall emit a red light.

(3)

When lighted, taillights shall emit a light plainly visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear.

(4)

Taillights may be constructed so as to include registration plate lights.

(5)

Taillights shall be wired so as to be lighted whenever the headlights or auxiliary lights are lighted.

(6)

Taillights that are required under ORS 816.320 and 816.330 must be mounted, adjusted and aimed in accordance with the standards adopted by the Department of Transportation.

(7)

Taillights that are required under ORS 816.320 and 816.330 and any part for such light that tends to change the original design or performance must be of a type that complies with standards adopted by the department under ORS 816.010.

(8)

On a motor vehicle that was manufactured before 1959, the taillight or the taillight assembly, if the taillight is combined with another light, may contain a blue or purple insert of not more than one inch in diameter.

Official sources · 1Tap to view provenance and version history

Online copy of the published ORS edition

This independent, nongovernmental service preserves the official source behind every rendered section.

Provenance

Version history

Prior statutory text is not available in the ingested published editions. Consult an earlier official ORS edition or the cited Oregon Laws chapter.