The Carolina Squat Ban Is Now Law in Six States

Updated September 2026 — we re-verified every statute below against primary sources and found the club is bigger than we first reported: Virginia (2022) and Tennessee (2024) also ban the squat, bringing the total to six states.

The squat — front end raised, rear end dropped — went from a regional truck trend to a legislative target in about five years. As of September 2026, six states have laws specifically aimed at it, and one of them is strict liability. We verified each against the statute text; here's what they actually say.

What the laws measure

Every one of these laws targets the difference between front and rear, not absolute height. That distinction matters more than anything else in this article:

A level lift of any height is untouched by these laws. A 6-inch lift, evenly applied, breaks none of them. What breaks them is rake.

South Carolina — the original

Lift kits in South Carolina · S.C. Code § 56-5-4445, effective November 12, 2023. Unlawful to operate a passenger vehicle whose front or rear fender has been raised 4 or more inches higher than the other.

Penalties: $100 / $200 / $300, with a 12-month license suspension on the third offense.

South Carolina's version is two-directional — it catches a raised rear as well as a raised front. The same section separately bans elevating or lowering a passenger vehicle more than 6 inches overall (pickups exempt from that part).

North Carolina — actually the first

Lift kits in North Carolina · N.C.G.S. § 20-135.4(d), effective December 1, 2021. The front fender may not sit 4 or more inches above the rear fender, and a third conviction within twelve months costs the license for at least a year.

North Carolina's rule gets less attention because it lives in a general vehicle-safety section rather than a headline-grabbing standalone act, but it came first and it is enforceable law. Notably, this is North Carolina's only lift-related rule — the state has no bumper-height cap at all.

Virginia — the bumper version

Lift kits in Virginia · Va. Code § 46.2-1063, amended effective March 22, 2022 (passed with an emergency clause). The front bumper may not sit 4 or more inches above the rear bumper.

Two Virginia details worth knowing: it measures at the bumper, not the fender — and since July 1, 2026 (2026, c. 497), a suspension-height summons can be dismissed if you bring the vehicle into compliance by your court date. Virginia squat tickets now work like fix-it tickets.

Mississippi — fender-based, escalating

Lift kits in Mississippi · Miss. Code § 63-7-105, effective July 1, 2024 (warnings only for the first 180 days; full penalties since January 27, 2025). Unlawful to drive a passenger vehicle whose suspension, frame, or chassis has been altered so the front fender sits 4 or more inches higher than the rear.

Penalties: $100 / $200 / $300, with a 12-month license suspension on a third offense within five years.

Mississippi carves out an exemption for factory high-clearance fenders designed for suspension articulation — so a purpose-built off-road body isn't caught by accident.

Tennessee — the criminal one

Lift kits in Tennessee · 2024 Pub. Ch. 541 (Tenn. Code tit. 55, ch. 8, pt. 2), effective July 1, 2024. A passenger vehicle may not be operated if suspension, frame, or chassis alteration leaves the front fender 4 or more inches higher than the rear, measured vertically through the wheel centerline to the fender bottom.

Penalties: this one is a Class B misdemeanor — $250, then $500, then $500 plus a 12-month license revocation for a third offense in twelve months. Where the other states write traffic fines, Tennessee wrote a criminal charge.

Arkansas — the strict-liability one

Lift kits in Arkansas · Ark. Code § 27-35-214, added by Act 492 of 2025, effective August 5, 2025. Unlawful to operate a passenger car, pickup, SUV, or panel truck modified so the front bumper sits 4 or more inches higher than the rear.

Penalties: $250 first offense, $500 thereafter, with a 12-month suspension on the third.

Two things make Arkansas the harshest of the six. First, the fines are roughly double. Second, it is a strict-liability offense — intent and knowledge are irrelevant. If the measurement is off, the violation exists, regardless of whether you built the truck or bought it that way.

Note also that Arkansas and Virginia measure at the bumper, while the other four measure at the fender. On some builds those give different answers.

What this means if you're building

1. Level your lift. Every one of these laws is a rake rule. Even the strictest state doesn't care how high you go, only how uneven it is.
2. Know which reference point your state uses. Bumper in Arkansas and Virginia, fender in North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
3. Buying used matters in Arkansas. Strict liability means "it came like this" is not a defense.
4. Watch the trend — but check your sources. Six states in under five years, with bills appearing elsewhere each session. And beware headlines: Alabama's squat bill made news with an "effective October 2026" date, then died in the Senate — Alabama has no squat ban. We track what actually passed on our law-change tracker.

Compare lift-height rules across all fifty states on the lift kit comparison, or check the lowering rules if you're going the other way.

Want the verified height and stance rules for your exact state and vehicle, with statute citations? Look up your state — it's free.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Every figure above was verified against primary statute text, most recently in September 2026. Laws change — verify with local authorities before you build.