Vehicle Mod Laws in South Carolina

Replacing the exhaust system is legal in South Carolina, but a muffler in good working order is required and cutouts or bypasses are prohibited. There is no statutory 'no louder than stock' rule — the standard is that the exhaust must not produce excessive or unusual noise.

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South Carolina 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 South Carolina. 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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Frames and decals are expressly lawful if they do not obscure any letters or numbers, and a trailer hitch may obscure up to 2 inches.

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South Carolina has no lift-height or bumper-height cap. Its rule is the original 'Carolina squat' ban: it is unlawful to operate a passenger vehicle whose front or rear fender has been raised 4 or more inches higher than the other.

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South Carolina requires no cover and imposes no white-or-amber-only rule on auxiliary lamps. The limit is four lit at one time on a highway.

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South Carolina makes it unlawful to drive a passenger vehicle that has been elevated or lowered more than 6 inches by modification, and separately bars raising or lowering a front fender 4 or more inches relative to the rear.

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Underglow is legal in South Carolina, including while driving, subject to color and flashing limits: No red or blue visible from directly in front, and no flashing or oscillating.

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South Carolina has no verified fender-coverage or tire-protrusion requirement for passenger cars. Its only fender rule limits the difference between front and rear fender height.

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A sunscreening device may be used only along the top of the windshield and may not extend below the AS-1 line. If the AS-1 line is not visible, no sunscreening device may be applied to the windshield at all. Because the material must be transparent, a printed or opaque banner is not legal in South Carolina — only a clear tint band.

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Front side windows: minimum 27% VLT. Rear side and back windows: minimum 27% VLT.

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