If you have a dually truck, you are probably aware that there are certain provisions and requirements you have to meet that are different from the average truck owner. Many of our readers ask: are mud flaps required on dually trucks?
There is no federal regulations requiring mud flaps on dually trucks, but many states have their own laws requiring mud flaps. The state mud flap laws vary quite a bit from state to state. States without mud flap laws include D.C., IN, IA, KY, NM, NC, ND, SC, SD, WV, and WY.
Finding out a straight answer can be a challenge, which is why we did the research and put together this guide of mud flap laws by state.
Take a look below and make sure you don’t get a ticket for not having mudflaps on your dually when you need them.
Why Are Mud Flaps Required On Dually Trucks?
Although there are no federal mud flap laws at this time, states have certainly taken up the issue of requiring duallys to have mud flaps installed.
The primary reason for this is to protect other vehicles on the road from spray or rocks being thrown on their windshield and leading to damage or accidents.
States Without Mud Flap Requirements
States that don’t have any mention of mud flap requirements are District of Columbia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Mud Flap Laws By State
In general, most states’ provisions on mud flaps usually state that vehicles just need to have something that prevents spray and rocks from being kicked up, whether that’s mud flaps or fenders, but don’t specifically call out mud flaps as being required.
A few states even require that cars have mud flaps, such as California, Louisiana, and Nebraska.
Additionally, the states that require mud flaps on dually trucks or other trucks often specify a certain Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) or total weight of the vehicle and trailer combo.
Here are the mud flap laws by state:
Alabama
770-X-10-.17-5-1-.10
All buses, trucks and semi-trailers shall have mudflaps covering the rear of the rear wheels sufficient to prevent as far as practicable gravel, stones or other materials from being thrown into the windshield of other vehicles.
Alaska
13 AAC 04.265
(a) No person may drive a motor vehicle unless it has a device which effectively reduces the wheel spray or splash of water or other substance to the rear of the vehicle.
(b) The device required in (a) of this section must be installed and maintained so that the device placed behind a wheel extends downward to a distance of 14 inches from the surface of the ground when the vehicle is standing on level ground.
Arizona
Title 28‐ Transportation28‐958.01
A. A person shall not operate a truck, trailer, semitrailer or bus on a highway unless the vehicle is equipped with rear fender splash guards that comply with the specifications provided in this section.
B. The splash guards:
1. Shall be attached in a manner that prevents the splashing of mud or water on the windshield of other motor vehicles.
2. Shall extend to a length of not more than eight inches from the ground.
3. Shall be wide enough to cover the full tread or treads of the tires being protected.
4. Shall be installed close enough to the tread surface of the tire or wheel to control the side throw of the bulk of the thrown road surface material.
5. May be constructed of a flexible rubberized material.
6. Shall be attached in a manner that, regardless of movement either in the splash guards or the vehicle, the splash guards retain their general parallel relationship to the tread surface of the tire or wheel under all ordinary operating conditions.
C. This section does not apply to:
1. A vehicle commonly known as a pickup truck with a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating of ten thousand pounds or less, except that this section applies if the pickup truck has been modified from the original bumper height design to raise the center of gravity of the pickup truck.
2. A truck tractor or converter dolly when used in combination with another vehicle.
3. A single, tandem or triple axle trailer with fenders that are wide enough to cover the full tread or treads of the tires being protected and that extend to a length of not more than fourteen inches from the ground.
Arkansas
001.01.1-17.3
All trailers, trucks, truck/tractors, and/or semitrailers with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) exceeding 10,000 pounds operated over the highways of the State of Arkansas, subject to the jurisdiction of this Commission, shall have attached thereto a splash apron (mud flaps) of flexible material directly to the rear of the rearmost wheels, hanging perpendicularly at right angles to the body of the vehicle, and parallel with the rearmost axle; said apron shall be of such size, weight, and substance as to prevent the bulk of the spray or other substance picked up from the roadway from being thrown on the windshield of a following vehicle.
California
California Department of Motor Vehicle Code Section 27600
No person shall operate any motor vehicle having three or more wheels, any trailer, or semitrailer unless equipped with fenders, covers, or devices, including flaps or splash aprons, or unless the body of the vehicle or attachments thereto afford adequate protection to effectively minimize the spray or splash of water or mud to the rear of the vehicle and all such equipment or such body or attachments thereto shall be at least as wide as the tire tread.
This section does not apply to those vehicles exempt from registration, trailers and semitrailers having an unladen weight of under 1,500 pounds, or any vehicles manufactured and first registered prior to January 1, 1971, having an unladen weight of under 1,500 pounds.
Colorado
Title 42. Vehicles and Traffic § 42-4-1407.5
(1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) “Splash guards” means mud flaps, rubber, plastic or fabric aprons, or other devices directly behind the rear-most wheels, designed to minimize the spray of water and other substances to the rear.
(b) “Splash guards” must, at a minimum, be wide enough to cover the full tread of the tire or tires being protected, hang perpendicular from the vehicle not more than ten inches above the surface of the street or highway when the vehicle is empty, and generally maintain their perpendicular relationship under normal driving conditions.
(2) Except as otherwise permitted in this section, no vehicle or motor vehicle shall be driven or moved on any street or highway unless the vehicle or motor vehicle is equipped with splash guards. However, vehicles and motor vehicles with splash guards that violate this section shall be allowed to remain in service for the time necessary to continue to a place where the deficient splash guards will be replaced. Such replacement shall occur at the first reasonable opportunity.
(3) This section does not apply to:
(a) Passenger-carrying motor vehicles registered pursuant to section 42-3-306(2) ;
(b) Trucks and truck tractors registered pursuant to section 42-3-306(4) or (5) having an empty weight of ten thousand pounds or less;
(c) Trailers equipped with fenders or utility pole trailers;
(d) Vehicles while involved in chip and seal or paving operations or road widening equipment;
(e) Truck tractors or converter dollies when used in combination with other vehicles;
(f) Vehicles drawn by animals; or
(g) Bicycles or electrical assisted bicycles.
(4) Any person who violates any provision of this section commits a class B traffic infraction.
Connecticut
General Statute Section. 14‐104
(a) No person shall operate on any public highway any motor vehicle with a passenger or commercial registration which is not equipped with fenders on all wheels which come into contact with the highway unless the body of the vehicle or attachments thereto afford adequate protection to effectively minimize the spray or splash of water or mud to the rear of the vehicle.
(b) No person shall operate or cause to be operated any bus, truck, truck-tractor, full trailer or semitrailer of registered gross weight exceeding three tons on any public highway unless the same is equipped with suitable metal protectors or substantial flexible flaps behind the rearmost wheels, and, in case the rear wheels are not covered at the top and rear by fender, body or other parts of the vehicle, the rear wheels shall be covered at the top and rear by protective means of such standard type or design and so installed as to reduce, as far as practicable, such wheels from throwing dirt, water or other materials on the windshields of following vehicles, except in cases in which the motor vehicle is so designed and constructed that the above requirements are accomplished by reason of the fender or body construction or other means of enclosure.
(c) Violation of any provision of this section shall be an infraction.
Delaware
Delaware Code Title 21. Motor Vehicles § 4317
(a) No person shall operate, cause or permit to be operated any bus or commercial motor vehicle having a gross weight of 8,000 pounds or more, including semitrailers and trailers, upon the highways of this State unless it is equipped with suitable metal protectors or substantial flexible flaps behind the rearmost wheels of the vehicle or combination to prevent the projection of rocks, dirt, water or other substances to the rear and to minimize side spray.
(b) The flap, shield or other device shall extend down from the vehicle’s body to not more than 8 inches above the road surface, but not more than 15 inches when the vehicle is in an unloaded condition. The protector or flap shall extend laterally at least the width of the tire being protected.
(c) If any bus or commercial motor vehicle, including semitrailers and trailers, is so designed or constructed that the objectives in subsection (a) of this section are accomplished by reason of fender or body construction or other means of enclosure, either permanent or temporary, then the requirements of this section have been satisfied.
(d) This section shall not apply to any farm tractor or to uncoupled truck tractors or other vehicles where the construction is such that complete freedom around the wheel area is necessary to secure the designed use of the vehicle.
(e) The Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles shall set and adopt such regulations as are necessary to implement this section.
(f) Whoever violates this section shall for the first offense be fined not less than $10 nor more than $28.75. For each subsequent like offense, the person shall be fined not less than $28.75 nor more than $100.
District Of Columbia
No mud flap provisions exist in District Of Columbia.
Florida
Florida DOT Office of Motor Carrier Compliance Manual
Any truck which exceeds 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, any truck tractor, or any trailer or semi‐trailer with a net weight of 2,000 pounds or more, shall be equipped with fenders, covers, or other splash and spray suppressant devices, such as flexible flaps, on the rearmost wheels of the vehicle or combination of such vehicles.
Georgia
Georgia Department of Public Safety Transportation Rulebook 4‐393.220 (Chapter 1, page 22)
Every bus, truck, trailer, semi-trailer, and pole trailer, shall be equipped with suitable metal protectors or substantial flexible flaps on the rearmost wheels to prevent, as far as practicable, such wheels from throwing dirt, gravel, rocks, water or other materials on the windshields of following vehicles. Such protectors or flaps shall have a ground clearance of not more than onehalf the distance from the center of the rearmost axle to the center of the protector or flap under any conditions of loading of the vehicle and shall be at least as wide as the tire or tires they are covering; provided, however, that if any such bus, truck, trailer, semi-trailer, and pole trailer is so designed and constructed that the foregoing requirements are accomplished by means of fenders, body construction, or other enclosures, then no such protectors or flaps shall be required.
Hawaii
HI Rev Stat § 286-202.8 (2012)
(a) A commercial motor vehicle shall not be operated on the public highways unless the vehicle is equipped with fenders, covers, or other devices, including flaps or splash aprons, to minimize the spray or splash of water or mud to the rear of the vehicle.
(b) Violation of this section shall be subject to a fine of $50, notwithstanding section 286-206.
Idaho
49-949
(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to operate or move or any owner to permit to be operated or moved, any motor vehicle, truck, bus, semitrailer or trailer, upon any highway without having the vehicle equipped with fenders or covers which may include flaps or splash aprons, over and to the rear of wheels, as follows:
(a) On the rear wheels of every truck equipped with a body, bus, trailer or semitrailer the fenders or covers shall extend in full width from a point above and forward of the center of the tires over and to the rear of the wheels to a point that is not more than ten (10) inches above the surface of the highway when the vehicle is empty;
(b) Behind the rear wheels of every truck not equipped with a body the fenders or covers shall extend downward in full width from a point not lower than halfway between the center of the wheels and the top of the tires on the wheels to a point that is not more than ten (10) inches above the surface of the highway when the vehicle is empty;
(c) Behind all wheels of every motor vehicle other than trucks, buses, semitrailers, or trailers, the fenders or covers shall extend in full width from a point above and forward of the center of the tire over and to the rear of the wheel to a point that is not more than twenty (20) inches above the surface of the highway, unless the bumper is a factory built bumper fastened directly to the frame of the vehicle pursuant to factory installation requirements;
(d) Fenders or covers are not required on any modified American-made pre-1935 vehicle, or any identifiable vintage or replica thereof that is titled as a later assembled vehicle or replica and is used for show and pleasure use when such vehicle is used and driven only during fair weather on well-maintained hard-surfaced roads.
(2) Fenders or covers, as used in subsection (1) of this section, shall be deemed to be of sufficient size and construction as to comply with those requirements if constructed as follows:
(a) When measured on the cross sections of the tread of the wheel or on the combined cross sections of the treads of multiple wheels, the fender or cover extends at least to each side of the width of the tire or of the combined width of the multiple tires, as the case may be;
(b) The fender or cover is constructed as to be capable at all times of arresting and deflecting dirt, mud, water, or other substance as may be picked up and carried by wheels;
(c) For school buses if the body extension behind the rear wheels exceeds five (5) feet.
Indiana
No mud flap provisions exist in Indiana.
Iowa
No mud flap provisions exist in Iowa.
Kansas
KS Admin Regs 36-1-31
Only Special Vehicle Combinations (SVC), which means truck-tractor and triple trailers, are required anti-spray devices in accordance with KAR 36-1-31.
(l) Antispray devices. Antispray mud flaps shall be attached to the rear of each axle except the steering axle. Mud flaps shall have a surface designed to absorb and deflect excess moisture to the road surface.
Kentucky
No mud flap provisions exist in Kentucky.
Louisiana
Louisiana State Revised Statute Section 32‐364
Every motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle or motor-driven cycle, when operated upon a highway of this state, shall be equipped with fenders, covers, or such devices, including flaps or splash aprons, or fender flares to effectively minimize the spray or splash of water or mud or loose material on the highways to the rear of the vehicle unless the body of the vehicle or attachments thereto afford such protection. The width of such fenders, covers, or other devices shall be at least the width of the tires of the motor vehicle.
B. This Section does not apply to those vehicles exempt from registrations, nor to any other vehicle having an unladen weight of under one thousand five hundred pounds, nor to those vehicles which were not supplied with the equipment required in Subsection A of this Section at the time of manufacture, nor to trucks and farm vehicles handling and hauling agricultural and forestry products.
Maine
Maine Revised Statutes Title 29‐A: Motor Vehicles, Chapter 17: Equipment, Section 1953
1. Required. A truck, truck tractor, trailer and semitrailer must be equipped with suitable guards that will effectively reduce the spray or splash of mud, water or slush caused by the rear wheels.
2. Exception. Splash guards are not required for:
A. A truck with a registered gross vehicle weight of 6,000 pounds or less
B. A dump truck:
(1) While being operated on construction or reconstruction projects in a construction area established by the Department of Transportation; and
(2) On a public way between the project and a pit or quarry where materials are being obtained when the pit or quarry is within 7 miles of the construction area;
C. A fire department vehicle
D. A motor vehicle equipped with fenders; or
E. A truck with a stake body that extends not less than 6 feet beyond the rear axle and that is registered under section 505.
Maryland
Maryland Statutes and Codes Section 22‐413
(a) A person may not drive any bus, truck, trailer, or semitrailer on any highway in this State, unless it is equipped with suitable metal protectors or substantial flexible flaps behind the rear-most wheels of the vehicle or combination of vehicles to prevent the projection of rocks, dirt, water, or other substances to the rear and to minimize side spray
The protectors or flaps shall have a ground clearance of not more than one-third of the horizontal distance from the bottom edge of the protector or flap to the centerline of the axle. However, no protector or flap need be closer to the ground than 6 inches under any condition of loading. The protector or flap shall extend laterally at least the width of the tire or tires being protected.
(b) If any bus, truck, trailer, or semitrailer, is so designed or constructed that the objectives in subsection (a) of the section are accomplished by reason of fender or body construction or other means of enclosure, either permanent or temporary, then the requirements of this section have been satisfied.
(c) This section does not apply to any farm tractor or to any vehicle registered as a farm truck or to uncoupled truck tractors or to pole trailers or other vehicles where the construction is such that complete freedom around the wheel area is necessary to secure the designed use of the vehicle.
Massachusetts
General Laws of Massachusetts Part 1, Title 24, Chapter 90, Section 7
Every motor vehicle or trailer, excepting passenger motor vehicles, operated in or upon any way shall be equipped with suitable guards which will effectively reduce the spray or splash to the rear of mud, water or slush caused by the rear wheels thereof.
Every passenger motor vehicle which is equipped with tires which extend beyond the fenders or body of such vehicle and which is operated in or upon any way shall be equipped with flaps or suitable guards to reduce such spray or splash to the rear and sides.
Michigan
Michigan 480.25 Sec. 15
A truck, truck tractor, trailer, semitrailer, or any combination of these, when used on a highway, shall be constructed, equipped, or operated to prevent water or other road surface substances from being thrown from the rear wheels of the vehicle or combination at tangents exceeding 22-1/2 degrees measured from the road surface.
If a flap type device is used, it shall not have attached any type of lamp, breakable reflective material, or reflecting buttons nor may the device extend beyond the maximum width of the vehicle or combination.
Minnesota
Minnesota Statute 169.733
Subdivision 1.Vehicles generally. Every truck, truck-tractor, trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, and rear-end dump truck, excepting rear-end dump farm trucks, must be provided with wheel flaps or other suitable protection above and behind the rearmost wheels of the vehicle or combination of vehicles to prevent, as far as practicable, the wheels from throwing dirt, water, or other materials on the windshields of following vehicles. The flaps or protectors must be at least as wide as the tires they are protecting and have a ground clearance of not more than nine inches from the ground when the vehicle is empty.
Subd. 2.Vehicle with conveyor belt. For a dump truck or truck with a rigid box fastened to its frame and having a conveyor belt or chain in the bottom of the vehicle that moves the cargo to the rear end of the vehicle, the flaps must be mounted as far to the rear of the vehicle as practicable and have a ground clearance of not more than 18 inches when the vehicle is loaded.
Subd. 3.Bottom-dump vehicle. In addition to meeting the requirements of subdivision 1, a bottom-dump cargo vehicle transporting sand, gravel, aggregate, dirt, lime rock, silica, or similar material must be equipped with a center flap between the wheel flaps, which must have a ground clearance of six inches or less when the vehicle is fully loaded.
Subd. 4.Alternative requirements. If the motor vehicle is so designed and constructed that the above requirements are accomplished by means of body construction or other means of enclosure, then no protectors or flaps are required.
Subd. 5.Extended flaps. If the rear wheels are not covered at the top by fenders, body or other parts of the vehicle, the flap or other protective means must be extended at least to a point directly above the center of the rearmost axle.
Mississippi
Mississippi Code Title 63: Motor Vehicles and Traffic Regulations Section 63‐7‐73
(1) No person shall drive or operate or cause to be driven or operated, upon the public highways, streets, bridges and culverts within the State of Mississippi, or any subdivision thereof, any car, truck, truck-tractor, trailer or semi-trailer or bus used for the transportation of property or persons the gross weight of which, including load, exceeds ten tons unless such motor vehicle is equipped with suitable metal protectors or substantial flexible flaps on the rear-most wheels of such vehicle or combination of vehicles, so as to prevent as far as possible such wheels from throwing dirt, water and other materials on the windshields of following motor vehicles. However, pole trailers, dump trucks, and all trucks carrying an “F” license tag shall be exempt from the provisions of this section.
(2) Such protectors or flaps shall be constructed of substantial and suitable materials approved by the commissioner of public safety and shall have a ground clearance of not more than one-fifth of the distance from the center of the rear-most axle to the center of the flaps under any conditions of loading operation of the motor vehicle. They shall be at least as wide as the tires they are protecting. However, if the motor vehicle is so designed and constructed that the purposes of this section cannot be met, then, in the discretion of the commissioner of public safety, no such protectors or flaps shall be required. If the said rear-most wheels are not adequately covered at the top by fenders, body or other parts of the vehicle, the said protectors or flaps shall be extended to a point directly above the rear-most axle. Lamps or wiring shall not be attached to protectors or flaps, and any reflectors or reflectorized material attached to or made a part of the protectors or flaps shall be in addition to the reflectors required by law on the vehicle.
Missouri
Missouri Statutes and Code Section 307.015
Trucks, semitrailers, and trailers, except utility trailers, without rear fenders, attached to a commercial motor vehicle registered for over twenty-four thousand pounds shall be equipped with mud flaps for the rear wheels when operated on the public highways of this state. If mud flaps are used, they shall be wide enough to cover the full tread width of the tire or tires being protected; shall be so installed that they extend from the underside of the vehicle body in a vertical plane behind the rear wheels to within twelve inches of the ground for dump trucks and within eight inches of the ground for all other vehicles required to be equipped with mud flaps under this section; and shall be constructed of a rigid material or a flexible material which is of a sufficiently rigid character to provide adequate protection when the vehicle is in motion. No provisions of this section shall apply to a motor vehicle in transit and in process of delivery equipped with temporary mud flaps, to farm implements, or to any vehicle which is not required to be registered.
Montana
Montana Code Annotated Section 61‐9‐407
Fenders, splash aprons, or flaps required on certain vehicles — dimension and location. (1) A person may not move, or permit to be moved, a vehicle, except a motorcycle, quadricycle, motor-driven cycle, or farm tractor, as defined in this title, upon the public highways without having first equipped the rearmost wheels or set of wheels of the vehicle with fenders, splash aprons, or flaps. The fenders, splash aprons, or flaps must be designed, constructed, and attached to the vehicle in a manner that arrests and deflects dirt, mud, water, rocks, and other substances that may be picked up by the rear wheels of the vehicle and thrown into the air, as follows:
(a) If the vehicle is equipped with fenders, the fenders must extend in full width from a point above and forward of the center of the tire or tires over and to the rear of the tires.
(b) If the vehicle is equipped with splash aprons or flaps, the splash aprons or flaps must extend downward in full width from a point not lower than halfway between the center of the tire or tires and the top of the tire or tires and to the rear of the tires.
(c) If the vehicle is in excess of 8,000 pounds gross vehicle weight or rating, the fenders, splash aprons, or flaps must extend downward to a point that is not more than 10 inches above the surface of the highway when the vehicle is empty.
(d) If the vehicle is 8,000 pounds or less gross vehicle weight or rating, the fenders, splash aprons, or flaps must extend downward to a point that is not more than 20 inches above the surface of the highway when the vehicle is empty.
(2) Fenders, splash aprons, or flaps, as used in subsection (1), must be constructed as follows:
(a) when measured on the cross-sections of the tread of the wheel or on the combined cross-sections of the treads of multiple wheels, the fender, splash apron, or flap extends at least to each side of the width of the tire or of the combined width of the multiple tires; and
(b) the fender, splash apron, or flap is capable at all times of arresting and deflecting dirt, mud, water, or other substance that may be picked up and carried by the wheel or wheels.
(3) This section does not apply to a street rod as defined in 61-1-101, motor vehicles not originally equipped with fenders, splash aprons, or flaps, or motor vehicles for which fenders, splash aprons, or flaps were not required by federal law or regulation at the time of manufacture.
Nebraska
Nebraska Revised Statute 60-6,283
Every new motor vehicle or semitrailer purchased after January 1, 1956, and operated on any highway in this state shall be equipped with fenders, covers, or devices, including flaps or splash aprons, unless the body of the vehicle affords adequate protection to effectively minimize the spray or splash of water or mud to the rear of the motor vehicle or semitrailer.
Nevada
Nevada Revised Statutes Section 484D.420
Every truck, truck-tractor, trailer, semitrailer or combination of those vehicles having a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating of 26,000 pounds or more, when operated upon a highway, must be equipped with mudguards suspended behind its rear wheels.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Revised Statutes Title 21 Section 266:57
Every vehicle operated in or upon any way, when not equipped with proper fenders to prevent the throw, spray, or splash of water, dirt, or other matter, shall be equipped with suitable fender guards or flaps which shall effectively reduce the throw, spray or splash likely to be emitted from any wheel or tire. Said flaps or guards required shall be of a type and size prescribed and approved by the director.
New Jersey
NJ Rev Stat § 39:3-79.1
No person shall operate or cause to be operated any bus, truck, full trailer or semitrailer of registered gross weight exceeding three tons on any public highway unless the same is equipped with suitable metal protectors or substantial flexible flaps on the rearmost wheels, and, in case the rear wheels are not covered at the top by fender, body or other parts of the vehicle, the rear wheels shall be covered at the top by protective means, of such standard type or design and installed in such manner as shall be approved by the Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles in the Department of Law and Public Safety and as shall conform substantially to any requirements of the Interstate Commerce Commission governing similar subject matter, in order to prevent, as far as practical, such wheels from throwing dirt, water or other materials on the windshields of the following vehicles, except in cases in which the motor vehicle is so designed and constructed that the above requirements are accomplished by reason of fender or body construction or other means of enclosure; provided, however, this act shall not apply to pole trailers, dump trucks, tanks, or other vehicles where the construction thereof is such that complete freedom around the wheel area is necessary to secure the designed use of the vehicle.
New Mexico
No mud flap provisions exist in New Mexico.
New York
New York State Consolidated Laws Section 375 Equipment
(a) On and after the first day of January, nineteen hundred seven‐ ty‐four it shall be unlawful to operate on any public highway or street in this state any tractor, commercial motor vehicle, combination of a commercial motor vehicle and trailer, or combination of a truck‐tractor and semi‐trailer which is not so constructed or equipped as reasonably to bar water or other road surface substances from being thrown by the rearmost wheels beyond the extreme rear of the vehicle or combination of vehicles, and to minimize side spray.
(b) Unless the commercial vehicle or combination vehicle is so designed or constructed to accomplish the objectives set forth in paragraph (a) of this subdivision by reason of fender or body construction or other means of enclosure, any such commercial vehicle or combination vehicle shall be equipped, on and after January first, nineteen hundred fifty‐seven, with splash guards and stone deflectors which shall be composed of materials substantial enough to withstand ripping or tearing by ordinary means and withstand the action of the elements for a reason‐ able length of time. Such splash guards and stone deflectors shall also have a reasonable degree of flexibility and the distance from the lower end thereof to the ground shall not exceed one‐third of the distance, measured along the ground, from the bottom of the splash guard to the point of contact of the rear wheel.
(c) The commissioner of motor vehicles is hereby authorized and empowered to make rules and regulations with respect to splash guards and stone deflectors, their type and construction, manner of attachment to vehicles and all other matters requisite for the proper effectuation of the purposes of this subdivision. In making such rules and regu‐ lations the commissioner shall be guided by the desirability of uniform‐ ity in requirements with regard to splash guards and stone deflectors among the several states.
(d) The provisions of this subdivision shall not apply to motor vehi‐ cles, trailers and semi‐trailers registered pursuant to subdivision thirteen of section four hundred one of this chapter, and not operated upon the public highways in excess of one and one‐half miles by direct route between farms or portions of farms under single or common ownership or operation.
North Carolina
No mud flap provisions exist in North Carolina.
North Dakota
No mud flap provisions exist in North Dakota.
Ohio
Ohio Revised Code Section 5577.11
No person shall drive or operate, or cause to be driven or operated, any commercial car, trailer, or semitrailer, used for the transportation of goods or property, the gross weight of which, with load, exceeds three tons, upon the public highways, streets, bridges, and culverts within this state, unless such vehicle is equipped with suitable metal protectors or substantial flexible flaps on the rearmost wheels of such vehicle or combination of vehicles to prevent, as far as practicable, the wheels from throwing dirt, water, or other materials on the windshields of following vehicles.
Such protectors or flaps shall have a ground clearance of not more than one third of the distance from the center of the rearmost axle to the center of the flaps under any conditions of loading of the vehicle, and they shall be at least as wide as the tires they are protecting.
If the vehicle is so designed and constructed that such requirements are accomplished by means of fenders, body construction, or other means of enclosure, then no such protectors or flaps are required.
Rear wheels not covered at the top by fenders, bodies, or other parts of the vehicle shall be covered at the top by protective means extending at least to the centerline of the rearmost axle.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Statute Section 47‐12‐405.3
All vehicles or combination of vehicles operating on the highways, except animal-drawn vehicles, not equipped with fenders over the rearmost wheels shall have attached thereto a rubber or fabric apron directly behind the rearmost wheels, and hanging perpendicular from the body of the vehicle.
The apron shall be of such a size as to prevent the bulk of the water or any other substance picked up from the roadway from being thrown from the rear wheels of the vehicle or combination of vehicles at tangents exceeding twenty-two and one half (22 1/2) degrees measured from the road surface.
The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to a farm tractor moving over the state highway system at a speed less than twenty (20) miles per hour.
Oregon
Oregon Revised Statues Section 815.180
This section designates fender and mudguard standards for ORS 815.185.
Except as specifically provided by an exemption under ORS 815.190, a vehicle is in violation of ORS 815.185 if the vehicle is not equipped with fenders or mudguards as required under ORS 815.185 or if the fenders or mudguards do not meet the standards of this section or are not of the type required by this section.
The standards for fenders and mudguards are as follows:
(1) There are three different types of fenders and mudguards. Any vehicle required to have fenders and mudguards may be equipped with any fender, cover, flap or splash apron to comply with the requirements of ORS 815.185 for fenders and mudguards as long as the fenders and mudguards meet all of the following standards:
(a) The width of any fender or mudguard required under this section must be of sufficient size so that the fender or mudguard extends at least to each side of the width of the tire or combined width of the multiple tires when measured against the cross section of the tread of the wheel or the combined cross sections of the treads of the multiple wheels.
(b) Any fender or mudguard required under this section must be of sufficient size and must be so constructed as to be capable at all times of arresting and deflecting any dirt, mud, water or other substance that may be picked up and carried by the wheels.
(2) The following types of fenders or mudguards must cover the wheels of the vehicle in the manner described in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of this subsection:
(a) Type I fenders or mudguards must extend in full width from a point on the wheels that is above and forward of the center of the tires over to a point at the rear of the wheels that is not more than 10 inches, or, if attached to the rear of a dump box that elevates for unloading, not more than 13 inches, above the surface of the highway when the vehicle is empty.
(b) Type II fenders or mudguards must extend downward in full width from a point behind the wheels that is not lower than halfway between the center of the wheels and the top of the tires to a point at the rear of the wheels that is not more than 10 inches above the surface of the highway when the vehicle is empty.
(c) Type III fenders or mudguards must extend in full width from a point on the wheels that is above and forward of the center of the tire over a point at the rear of the wheel that is not more than 27 inches above the surface of the highway.
Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Code Section 175.108
A vehicle specified under this subchapter shall be equipped with fenders which provide at least as much coverage of the wheel as original equipment.
Wheels shall be sufficiently covered with fenders or flaps to prevent loose objects, rain, snow and the like from being thrown about in a manner which may interfere with other persons using the highways.
Rhode Island
RI Gen L § 31-23-26
No person shall operate any motor vehicle on any public highway of this state unless the vehicle is equipped with fenders covering the front wheels of the motor vehicle, or operate any passenger motor vehicle on any public highway equipped with tires which extend beyond the fenders or body of the vehicle unless it is also equipped with flaps or suitable guards to reduce spray or splash to the rear and sides.
South Carolina
No mud flap provisions exist in New Mexico.
South Dakota
No mud flap provisions exist in South Dakota.
Tennessee
Tennessee Code Section 55‐9‐212
(a) No person shall operate upon a public highway or street any motor vehicle, including a separate truck tractor (normally used in a tractor-trailer combination), or combination of vehicles having a carrying capacity in excess of three thousand pounds (3,000 lbs.), if the motor vehicle or combination of vehicles is not equipped with rear fenders, mudflaps or mudguards of such size as to substantially prevent the projection of rocks, dirt, water or other substances to the rear.
The fenders, flaps or guards shall be of a type approved by the commissioner of safety.
(b) This section shall have no application to farm vehicles, or vehicles used by farmers to haul produce from farm to market, nor shall it apply to vehicles used exclusively for hauling logs.
Texas
Texas Statutes Section 547.606
- A road tractor, truck, trailer, truck-tractor in combination with a semitrailer, or semitrailer in combination with a towing vehicle that has at least four tires or at least two super single tires on the rearmost axle of the vehicle or the rearmost vehicle in the combination shall be equipped with safety guards or flaps that:
- are of a type prescribed by the department; and
- are located and suspended behind the rearmost wheels of the vehicle or the rearmost vehicle in the combination within eight inches of the surface of the highway.
(b) This section does not apply to a truck-tractor operated alone or a pole trailer.
(c) In this section, “super single tire” means a wide-base, single tire that may be used in place of two standard tires on the same axle.
Utah
41-6a-1633
(1)
(a) Except as provided in Subsection (2), when operated on a highway, the following vehicles shall be equipped with wheel covers, mudguards, flaps, or splash aprons behind the rearmost wheels to prevent, as far as practicable, the wheels from throwing dirt, water, or other materials on other vehicles:
(i) a vehicle that has been altered:
(A) from the original manufacturer’s frame height; or
(B) in any other manner so that the motor vehicle’s wheels may throw dirt, water, or other materials on other vehicles;
(ii) any truck with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,500 pounds or more;
(iii) any truck tractor; and
(iv) any trailer or semitrailer with an unladen weight of 750 pounds or more.
(b) The wheel covers, mudguards, flaps, or splash aprons shall:
(i) be at least as wide as the tires they are protecting;
(ii) be directly in line with the tires; and
(iii) have a ground clearance of not more than 50% of the diameter of a rear-axle wheel, under any conditions of loading of the motor vehicle.
(2) Wheel covers, mudguards, flaps, or splash aprons are not required:
(a) if the motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer is designed and constructed so that the requirements of Subsection (1) are accomplished by means of fenders, body construction, or other means of enclosure;
(b) on a vehicle operated or driven during fair weather on well-maintained, hard-surfaced roads if the motor vehicle:
(i) was made in America prior to 1935;
(ii) is registered as a vintage vehicle; or
(iii) is a custom vehicle as defined under Section 41-6a-1507; or
(c) on a street-legal all-terrain vehicle.
(3) Except as provided in Subsection (2)(b), rear wheels not covered at the top by fenders, bodies, or other parts of the vehicle shall be covered at the top by protective means extending rearward at least to the centerline of the rearmost axle.
Vermont
Vermont Statutes Title 23: Motor Vehicle Chapter 13: Operation of Vehicles Sub‐Chapter 14: Equipment Section 1306
No person may operate or cause to be operated any bus, truck, trailer, or semi-trailer upon any highway in this State unless the bus, truck, trailer, or semi-trailer is equipped with suitable metal protectors or substantial flexible flaps behind the rearmost wheels to prevent, as far as practicable, the wheels from throwing dirt, water, or any other materials on the windshields of vehicles following or approaching.
The flaps shall be of a type and size as specified by the Department of Motor Vehicles. However, this section shall not apply to farm tractors or pole trailers.
Virginia
Code of Virginia Section 46.2‐1083
No person shall operate on a highway any motor vehicle or combination of vehicles having a licensed gross weight in excess of 40,000 pounds unless the motor vehicle or combination of vehicles is equipped with rear fenders, flaps, or guards of sufficient size to substantially prevent the projection of rocks, dirt, water, or other substances to the rear.
Vehicles used exclusively for hauling logs and tractor trucks shall be exempt from the provisions of this section.
Washington
Revised Code of Washington Section 46.37.500
(1) Except as authorized under subsection (2) of this section, no person may operate any motor vehicle, trailer, cargo extension, or semitrailer that is not equipped with fenders, covers, flaps, or splash aprons adequate for minimizing the spray or splash of water or mud from the roadway to the rear of the vehicle. All such devices shall be as wide as the tires behind which they are mounted and extend downward at least to the center of the axle.
(2) A motor vehicle that is not less than forty years old or a street rod vehicle that is owned and operated primarily as a collector’s item need not be equipped with fenders when the vehicle is used and driven during fair weather on well-maintained, hard-surfaced roads.
West Virginia
No mud flap provisions exist in New Mexico.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Code Sections 305.53 and 347.46
305.53 Fenders and Mud Guards
Every trailer or semi‐trailer shall be equipped with adequate fenders to cover the tires, except when the construction of the trailer or semitrailer is such that the body, bed, load, or load‐carrying area covers the tires.
Semitrailers operated in intercity movement and not equipped with dump bodies shall have sufficient mud guards as specified in s. 347.46 (2), Stats., unless exempted under s. 347.46 (2) (c), Stats.
347.46 Fenders and mudguards.
No person shall operate a vehicle of the tractor type on a highway unless the driving wheels of such vehicle are protected by suitable fenders.
(2) No person shall operate on a highway in intercity movement any privately owned motor truck or privately owned semitrailer drawn by a truck tractor, except those motor trucks and semitrailers equipped with dump bodies, unless such motor truck or semitrailer is equipped with rear fenders or mudguards of such material and so constructed and placed as to restrict to a minimum the splashing of water, mud or other material which may be thrown by the rear wheels.
Such rear fenders or mudguards shall meet the following minimum specifications:
(a) The fenders or mudguards shall cover the tire or multiple tires they are protecting starting at the top from a line drawn vertically through the center of the axle and extending rearward and downward so that the fender or mudguard under any condition of operation or loading of the vehicle has a ground clearance of not more than one third of the horizontal distance from the center of the rearmost axle to the fender or mudguard;
(b) The fenders or mudguards shall be at least as wide as the tire or multiple tires they are protecting;
(c) If the vehicle is so designed and constructed that the rear wheels are covered in the manner specified in pars. (a) and (b) by means of fenders, body construction or other means of enclosure, then no special mudguards are required.
Otherwise, the vehicle shall be equipped with special mudguards to the extent necessary to meet the requirements of pars. (a) and (b).
Wyoming
No mud flap provisions exist in New Mexico.
