Vehicle Mod Laws in Connecticut

Replacing the exhaust system is legal in Connecticut, but a muffler in good working order is required and cutouts or bypasses are prohibited. Modifications that make the exhaust louder than the originally installed muffler are prohibited.

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Connecticut sets real numeric limits for cars under 10,000 lb GVWR, measured at 50 feet: 72 dB(A) on a soft site or 74 on a hard site at 35 mph or less, rising to 79 and 81 above 35 mph for vehicles built after 1979.

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Smoked or tinted film on headlights and taillights is illegal in Connecticut. Headlights must emit white light and taillights must show red at the required visibility distance, and tint that dims or discolors them violates those requirements.

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License plate frames are legal in Connecticut as long as nothing required stays hidden. Plates must be displayed entirely unobscured with all numerals and letters plainly legible — frames covering the state name and tinted covers are both illegal.

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Connecticut limits passenger vehicles to 4 inches of lift above the manufacturer's unladen height, and separately bars lowering below 4 inches of ground clearance.

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Connecticut allows up to two each of spot, fog, auxiliary passing, and auxiliary driving lamps, usable on the road subject to aiming and mounting-height limits. No cover is required.

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Connecticut sets a genuine 4-inch floor: the sprung portion of the vehicle may not be lowered so its clearance from level ground is under 4 inches, nor raised more than 4 inches above unladen factory height.

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Underglow may not be used on public roads in Connecticut. Front-facing lights may show only white, yellow, or amber and rear lights only red, yellow, amber, or white, and colored or flashing lights require a DMV permit — so colored underglow is effectively illegal to display while driving.

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Connecticut requires fenders on all wheels that contact the highway, unless the body or attachments adequately minimize spray to the rear. There is no inch limit, but bare protruding tires are not permitted.

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Transparent material is allowed on the topmost portion, with its bottom edge at least 29 inches above the undepressed driver's seat, and it may not be red or amber. Because the material must be transparent, a printed or opaque banner is not legal in Connecticut — only a clear tint band.

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Front side windows: minimum 35% VLT. Rear side and back windows: minimum 35% VLT. Darker limits apply behind the driver on some larger vehicles.

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