Vehicles

Rules of the road, car equipment, and getting fuel.

Each state writes its own vehicle code, so the equipment a car must carry, the plates it displays, whether it must pass an inspection, and what riders must wear all change at the state line. A car or motorcycle that is legal at home can be out of step after a move or a long drive. These maps compare what each state's code requires, quoted from the statute or the agency that enforces it.

Can car dealerships open on Sundays?

13 Sunday car sales banned7 Limited by place or day29 Sunday sales allowed1 Unclear

The most common answer is “Sunday sales allowed”, in 29 states. Whether state law lets a licensed motor vehicle dealer sell or offer to sell new or used passenger cars on Sunday. Dealership service and parts departments, private sales between individuals, and sales of motorcycles, RVs, boats, and trailers are excluded. City and county rules are noted only where state law itself delegates the choice to them.

Explainers: Blue laws and car lots · Why the courts let them stand · Partial limits and exceptions · What the penalties look like · The case for and against · Repeal efforts and the no-rule states

Reviewed Oct 21, 2026

Do adults have to wear motorcycle helmets?

17 All riders31 Only some riders2 No helmet law

The most common answer is “Only some riders”, in 31 states. Whether state law requires motorcycle operators and passengers to wear a helmet on public roads, and which riders it covers. Mopeds, scooters, autocycles, off-highway vehicles, and eye-protection rules are excluded from the answer and noted in details when they matter.

Explainers: How federal pressure shaped helmet laws · What counts as a helmet · What the federal crash data show · Universal laws and age limits · Experience, training and insurance · States with no helmet law

Reviewed Oct 22, 2026

Do you need a front license plate?

28 Front and rear plates22 Rear plate only

The most common answer is “Front and rear plates”, in 28 states. Whether state law requires a license plate on the front of an ordinary passenger car registered in the state, or only on the rear. Motorcycles, trailers, commercial trucks, dealer plates, and cars registered in other states are excluded.

Explainers: How the rules are written · Why police and toll agencies want two plates · What a single plate saves · States that dropped the front plate, and two that brought it back · Cars built without a front bracket · Bills that didn't pass

Reviewed Oct 21, 2026

Is it legal to pump your own gas?

1 Attendant must pump2 Self-serve with limits47 Self-serve allowed

The most common answer is “Self-serve allowed”, in 47 states. A driver pumping gasoline into their own car at a retail gas station open to the public. Diesel, marine and aviation fuel, private or fleet fueling sites, and city or county rules are excluded.

Explainers: New Jersey: the last full-service state · Oregon’s long road to self-service · How self-service caught on · How the other states handle it · Help at the pump for drivers with disabilities · Fumes and price: the old arguments today

Reviewed Oct 21, 2026

Is it legal to put a train horn on a car?

1 Banned on road vehicles46 Allowed with limits3 No state limit found

The most common answer is “Allowed with limits”, in 46 states. Equipping a personal car or pickup truck that is driven on public roads with a train horn: an aftermarket air horn kit designed to sound like a locomotive horn. Sounding it on the road falls under the same horn laws and is included. Commercial trucks and buses (whose factory air horns are normal), emergency vehicles, off-road-only use, and city or county noise ordinances are excluded.

Explainers: Real train horns, and how loud they are · Why trains sound their horns at crossings · Why most states say “Allowed with limits” · California’s attempt at a decibel limit · Rules about using a horn · Rules beyond the state answer

Reviewed Oct 21, 2026

Is there an annual vehicle safety inspection?

13 Regular safety inspection1 Only at sale or first registration36 No safety inspection

The most common answer is “No safety inspection”, in 36 states. Whether state law requires privately owned passenger cars to pass a safety inspection of their equipment (such as brakes, lights, tires and steering), and how often. Emissions or smog tests, VIN-only checks, and inspections of commercial, salvage, rebuilt, or specialty vehicles are excluded from the answer and noted in details.

Explainers: From a federal push to a state choice · A shrinking list · What an inspection checks · Do inspections prevent crashes? · Inspections at sale, VIN checks and moving · Emissions tests and trucks follow other rules

Reviewed Oct 22, 2026

Compare states across these topics

Each row is one state's answer to every question in this category. Select an answer for that state's details and sources.

State	Can car dealerships open on Sundays?	Do adults have to wear motorcycle helmets?	Do you need a front license plate?	Is it legal to pump your own gas?	Is it legal to put a train horn on a car?	Is there an annual vehicle safety inspection?
Alabama	Sunday sales allowed	All riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Alaska	Sunday sales allowed	Only some riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Arizona	Sunday sales allowed	Only some riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Arkansas	Sunday sales allowed	Only some riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
California	Sunday sales allowed	All riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Colorado	Sunday car sales banned	Only some riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Connecticut	Sunday sales allowed	Only some riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Delaware	Sunday sales allowed	Only some riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	Regular safety inspection
Florida	Sunday sales allowed	Only some riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Georgia	Sunday sales allowed	All riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve with limits	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Hawaii	Sunday sales allowed	Only some riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Banned on road vehicles	Regular safety inspection
Idaho	Sunday sales allowed	Only some riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Illinois	Sunday car sales banned	No helmet law	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Indiana	Sunday car sales banned	Only some riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Iowa	Sunday car sales banned	No helmet law	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Kansas	Sunday sales allowed	Only some riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Kentucky	Limited by place or day	Only some riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Louisiana	Sunday car sales banned	All riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	Regular safety inspection
Maine	Sunday car sales banned	Only some riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	No state limit found	Regular safety inspection
Maryland	Limited by place or day	All riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	Only at sale or first registration
Massachusetts	Sunday sales allowed	All riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	Regular safety inspection
Michigan	Limited by place or day	Only some riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Minnesota	Sunday car sales banned	Only some riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Mississippi	Unclear Needs confirmation	All riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Missouri	Sunday car sales banned	Only some riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	Regular safety inspection
Montana	Sunday sales allowed	Only some riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Nebraska	Sunday sales allowed	Only some riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Nevada	Sunday sales allowed	All riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
New Hampshire	Sunday sales allowed	Only some riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	No state limit found	No safety inspection
New Jersey	Sunday car sales banned	All riders	Front and rear plates	Attendant must pump	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
New Mexico	Sunday sales allowed	Only some riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
New York	Sunday sales allowed	All riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	Regular safety inspection
North Carolina	Sunday sales allowed	All riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	Regular safety inspection
North Dakota	Sunday car sales banned	Only some riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Ohio	Sunday sales allowed	Only some riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Oklahoma	Sunday car sales banned	Only some riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Oregon	Sunday sales allowed	All riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve with limits	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Pennsylvania	Sunday car sales banned	Only some riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	Regular safety inspection
Rhode Island	Limited by place or day	Only some riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	Regular safety inspection
South Carolina	Limited by place or day	Only some riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
South Dakota	Sunday sales allowed	Only some riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Tennessee	Sunday sales allowed	All riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Texas	Limited by place or day	Only some riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Utah	Limited by place or day	Only some riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Vermont	Sunday sales allowed	All riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	No state limit found	Regular safety inspection
Virginia	Sunday sales allowed	All riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	Regular safety inspection
Washington	Sunday sales allowed	All riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
West Virginia	Sunday sales allowed	All riders	Rear plate only	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	Regular safety inspection
Wisconsin	Sunday car sales banned	Only some riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection
Wyoming	Sunday sales allowed	Only some riders	Front and rear plates	Self-serve allowed	Allowed with limits	No safety inspection