Wheel & Tire Protrusion Laws by State
Compare wheel & tire protrusion regulations across all 50 states.
| State | Status | Key limits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Legal | — | Details → |
| Alaska | Conditional | Antispray device: required, extending to within 14 in of the ground Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Arizona | Legal | Splash guards: required on trucks, trailers, buses, and lifted pickups Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Arkansas | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| California | Conditional | Fenders required: must minimize rear spray and be at least as wide as the tire tread Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Colorado | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Connecticut | Conditional | Fenders required: on all wheels that contact the highway Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Delaware | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Florida | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Georgia | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Hawaii | Conditional | Fender coverage: must cover full tread width viewed from above and the tire circumference from vertical to 75 degrees rearward | Details → |
| Idaho | Conditional | Fenders required: over all wheels, full width, reaching within 20 in of the road on cars (10 in on trucks and buses) | Details → |
| Illinois | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Indiana | Legal | — | Details → |
| Iowa | Legal | — | Details → |
| Kansas | Legal | — | Details → |
| Kentucky | Legal | — | Details → |
| Louisiana | Conditional | Fenders required: fenders, flaps, splash aprons, or fender flares at least as wide as the tires Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Maine | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Maryland | Conditional | Fender coverage: fenders must cover the top of the wheel and tire; rear fenders to the wheel centerline; front fenders within 45 degrees of it | Details → |
| Massachusetts | Conditional | Protrusion limit: none — tires may extend beyond the fenders if flaps or guards are fitted | Details → |
| Michigan | Legal | — | Details → |
| Minnesota | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Mississippi | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Missouri | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Montana | Conditional | Spray control: fenders, splash aprons, or flaps reaching within 20 in of the road (10 in over 8,000 lb GVW) Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Nebraska | Conditional | Spray control: fenders, covers, flaps, or splash aprons minimizing rear spray Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Nevada | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| New Hampshire | Conditional | Spray control: fender guards or flaps required where proper fenders are absent Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| New Jersey | Illegal | Fender flares: permitted to provide the required coverage Protrusion limit: tire tread may not protrude beyond the fenders | Details → |
| New Mexico | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| New York | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| North Carolina | Legal | Related rule: front fender height may not exceed rear fender height by 4 or more inches Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| North Dakota | Conditional | Stock vehicles: no fender requirement Modified vehicles: fenders must cover the entire tire tread width, 15 degrees forward to 75 degrees rear of the wheel centerline | Details → |
| Ohio | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Oklahoma | Conditional | Spray control: apron required behind rearmost wheels where fenders are absent Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Oregon | Conditional | Fenders required: Type III fenders on each axle, full width over the tire, reaching within 27 in of the road Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Pennsylvania | Conditional | Fenders required: of a type used as original equipment; the tire may not contact the body, fenders, or chassis Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Rhode Island | Conditional | Fenders required: over the front wheels Protrusion limit: tires may extend beyond the fenders only with flaps or guards reducing spray to the rear and sides | Details → |
| South Carolina | Legal | Related rule: front fender height may not differ 4 or more inches from the rear Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| South Dakota | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Tennessee | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Texas | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Utah | Conditional | Protrusion limit: none Mudguards required: on vehicles altered from the original frame height; must be at least as wide as the tires and directly in line with them | Details → |
| Vermont | Conditional | Fender coverage: a fender must cover the tread portion of the tire; removed fenders fail inspection Modified vehicles: fenders must cover the entire tread width, 15 degrees forward to 75 degrees rear of the wheel centerline | Details → |
| Virginia | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Washington | Conditional | Fenders required: at least as wide as the tire and extending down at least to the center of the axle Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| West Virginia | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Wisconsin | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
| Wyoming | Legal | Protrusion limit: none | Details → |
Limits shown apply to sedans, or to all vehicles where the law doesn't distinguish. Vehicle-specific rules, exceptions, and statute citations are on each state's page.
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Street-legal wheel & tire protrusion picks
Gear that helps you mod without a ticket.
Fender flares
The standard fix when wheels stick out past the fender line.
Shop on AmazonMud flaps
Several states require them once tires extend beyond the body.
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