Headlights in the Rain: “Wipers On, Lights On” Laws Across All 50 States Explained

Depending on where you got your driver's license, certain habits behind the wheel are probably second nature. Especially safety decisions based on weather. Might have left you confused why not everyone turns on their headlights when it's raining. Turns out that difference could be because of the states drivers come from and the rules they learned there.

So what does the law actually say across all 50 states? We dug through every state's department or bureau of transportation resources and put together a breakdown. Found 23 states with laws requiring both wipers and headlights in bad weather, though way more have rules about headlights in low visibility.

Some states don't explicitly mention wipers. Unsurprisingly some states' rules around conditions like fog are, well, a little foggy. Here's what our investigation found.

When Wipers Are On, Headlights Are On

These states require headlights on when wipers are running due to rain, sleet, or snow: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Interestingly New York says daytime running lights aren't enough. Same low beams used for night driving must be on in wet conditions. Some states get really specific and outline that intermittent misting doesn't require headlight use.

Some states' laws don't explicitly say headlights must be on when wipers are on but still cover it with any wet or bad weather, especially fog, or when there's not enough light. Or "unfavorable atmospheric conditions" as Utah and a few others describe it. These include Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Worth noting the Colorado State Patrol says headlights aren't required in rain while New Mexico only has a statute about using headlights when there's "not sufficient light to render clearly discernible persons and vehicles on the highway at a distance of five hundred feet ahead."

DRLs, Low Beams, and Just Being Visible

After digging into whether using wipers without headlights in bad weather is illegal, there's one main takeaway. When Mother Nature kills visibility, use the tools on your vehicle to clear things up and make yourself visible. Please listen to your fellow drivers and turn your headlights on.

Also ask anyone who's ever driven a small sports car or hatchback in any weather. Good idea to always keep your lights on, whether that's DRLs or low beams.

Finally worth digging into your individual state's laws about high and low beam use, DRLs, fog lights, spotlights, lights that dazzle (yes that's actual language in government documents), using lights while passing on two-lane roads, light color, lights that flash, and way more. These get incredibly specific depending on the state.