Vehicle Mod Laws in Kentucky

Replacing the exhaust system is legal in Kentucky, 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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Kentucky sets no statewide decibel limit for passenger cars. A muffler in good working order is required, exhaust may not produce excessive or unusual noise, and cutouts or bypasses are prohibited.

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Smoked or tinted film on headlights and taillights is illegal in Kentucky. 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 Kentucky as long as nothing required stays hidden. No rim, frame, or other covering may in any way obscure or cover any lettering or decal on the plate.

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Kentucky sets no statewide lift, frame-height, or bumper-height limit. The only cap is overall vehicle height of 13 feet 6 inches, and general equipment rules — headlamp height, working lighting — still apply.

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Kentucky sets no lamp-count or candlepower cap and requires no cover — but it prohibits retrofit headlamp covers and films that change the color of emitted light, so a tinted cover is itself a violation. Front-visible light must be white or amber unless it is original equipment, and blue is prohibited.

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Kentucky has no suspension, frame-height, or bumper-height restrictions.

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Underglow is legal in Kentucky, including while driving, subject to color and flashing limits: Front-visible light must be white or amber, with no red to the front, no blue, and no flashing except turn signals and hazards.

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Kentucky has no fender, mudguard, or splash-guard section and no wheel-protrusion limit.

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Transparent sunscreening is allowed along a strip at the top, as long as it does not encroach on the AS-1 portion. Because the material must be transparent, a printed or opaque banner is not legal in Kentucky — only a clear tint band.

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Front side windows: minimum 35% VLT. Rear side and back windows: minimum 18% VLT. Darker limits apply behind the driver on some larger vehicles.

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