Montana Code 61-9-204. Taillamps
61-9-204. Taillamps. (1) A motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, and pole trailer and any other vehicle that is being drawn at the end of a combination of vehicles must be equipped with at least one properly functioning taillamp mounted on the rear that emits a red light plainly visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear, except that in the case of a combination of vehicles, only the taillamp on the rearmost vehicle need actually be seen from the distance specified. The vehicles mentioned in this subsection, other than a motorcycle, quadricycle, motor-driven cycle, or truck tractor, registered in this state and manufactured or assembled after January 1, 1956, must be equipped with at least two properly functioning taillamps, with at least one mounted on each side of the rear of the vehicle, that emit a red light plainly visible from a distance of 1,000 feet to the rear of the vehicle.
Terms Used In Montana Code 61-9-204
- Custom vehicle: means a motor vehicle other than a motorcycle that:
(a)(i) was manufactured with a model year after 1948 and that is at least 25 years old; or
(ii)was built to resemble a vehicle manufactured after 1948 and at least 25 years before the current calendar year, including a kit vehicle intended to resemble a vehicle manufactured after 1948 and that is at least 25 years old; and
(b)has been altered from the manufacturer's original design or has a body constructed from nonoriginal materials. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Motor vehicle: means :
(i)a vehicle propelled by its own power and designed or used to transport persons or property on the highways of the state;
(ii)a quadricycle if it is equipped for use on the highways as prescribed in chapter 9; or
(iii)a golf cart only if it is equipped for use on the highways as prescribed in chapter 9 and is operated pursuant to 61-8-391 or by a person with a low-speed restricted driver's license. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Motor-driven cycle: means a motorcycle, including a motor scooter, with a motor that produces 5 horsepower or less. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Motorcycle: means a motor vehicle that has a seat or saddle for the use of the operator and that is designated to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- person: means an individual, corporation, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, state agency, local government unit, another state government, the United States, a political subdivision of this or another state, or any other legal or commercial entity. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Pole trailer: means a vehicle without power designed to be drawn by another vehicle and attached to the towing vehicle by means of a reach or pole or by being boomed or otherwise secured to the towing vehicle and ordinarily used for transporting long or irregularly shaped loads such as poles, pipes, or structural members capable generally of sustaining themselves as beams between the supporting connections. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Quadricycle: means a four-wheeled motor vehicle, designed for on-road or off-road use, having a seat or saddle on which the operator sits. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Semitrailer: means a vehicle, with or without motive power, other than a pole trailer, designed for carrying property and for being drawn by a motor vehicle and constructed so that some part of its weight and that of its load rests on or is carried by another vehicle. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Montana Code 1-1-201
- Street: means the entire width between the boundary lines of every publicly maintained way when any part of the publicly maintained way is open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Street rod: means a motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, that:
(a)was manufactured prior to 1949 or was built to resemble a vehicle manufactured before 1949, including a kit vehicle intended to resemble a vehicle manufactured before 1949; and
(b)has been altered from the manufacturer's original design or has a body constructed from nonoriginal materials. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Trailer: means a vehicle, with or without motive power, other than a pole trailer, designed for carrying property and for being drawn by a motor vehicle and constructed so that no part of its weight rests on the towing vehicle. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Truck tractor: means a motor vehicle designed and used primarily for drawing other vehicles and not constructed to carry a load other than a part of the weight of the vehicle and load drawn. See Montana Code 61-1-101
- Vehicle: means a device in, on, or by which any person or property may be transported or drawn on a public highway, except devices moved by animal power or used exclusively on stationary rails or tracks. See Montana Code 61-1-101
(2)A taillamp upon a vehicle must be located at a height of not more than 72 inches or less than 15 inches.
(3)Either a taillamp or a separate lamp must illuminate with a white light the rear registration plate and render it clearly legible from a distance of 50 feet to the rear. A taillamp or taillamps, together with a separate lamp for illuminating the rear registration plate, must be lighted whenever the headlamps are lighted.
(4)Taillamps are not required on a motorcycle that is registered under 61-3-411 as a collector’s item, but the motorcycle may not be operated on a highway or street from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise or when persons and vehicles are not clearly discernible at a distance of 500 feet unless it is equipped with the required taillamps.
(5)A person may not operate a motor vehicle on a highway with taillamps that are covered by a lens or a plastic cover or with a tinted or colored material, substance, system, or component placed on or in front of rear lamps, taillamps, license plate lamps, or rear lamp combinations that obscures the taillamps or diminishes the distance of visibility required by this section.
(6)(a) A custom vehicle or street rod may use a blue dot taillight, as defined in subsection (6)(b), as a stop lamp, a rear signal lamp, or a rear reflector.
(b)”Blue dot taillight” means a red lamp installed in the rear of a motor vehicle containing a blue or purple insert that is not more than 1 inch in diameter.