North Carolina Lift Laws and Vehicle Equipment Laws

The North Carolina General Statutes (NCGS) cover the street legal laws for the state.

Vehicle size in North Carolina cannot exceed 102 inches wide, 13 feet 6 inches tall, or 40 feet long for a single vehicle.

North Carolina requires that tires be in safe operating condition without any bulges or exposed cords. The minimum allowed tire tread depth is 1/16 inch. It is unknown if tires are allowed to be re-grooved .

The North Carolina statutes make no reference to wheels.

Vehicles driven in North Carolina are required to have brakes capable of stopping the vehicle from a speed of 20 mph within 30 feet. A secondary, mechanical, parking brake is required.

North Carolina’s only requirement for a vehicle’s steering system is that is be safe.

There are no suspension modification laws in North Carolina for trucks or multi-purpose vehicles with special features for occasional off-road use. Passenger vehicles cannot be lifted or lowered more than 6 inches without the written approval of the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles.

North Carolina does not have a vehicle frame height limit.

There are no bumper laws in North Carolina.

It is not clear if fenders or mud flaps are required in North Carolina.

In addition to headlights and tail lights, vehicles in North Carolina are allowed to have a pair of auxiliary lights installed.

( Height measured to the center of the light. )

The North Carolina code does not specifically state that windshields are required, although, vehicles with windshields are required to have windshield wipers.

In North Carolina, vehicles are required to have mufflers. Exhaust cutouts and bypasses are prohibited.

It is unknown if North Carolina has any engine swap or engine performance modification rules.

North Carolina currently requires safety inspections. Emissions testing is also required on vehicles that are model year 1996 or newer. (Historic vehicles are exempt from safety inspections.)