Here's what it says in California's Vehicle Code:
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Lighting Requirements
25400. (a) Any vehicle may be equipped with a lamp or device on the exterior of the vehicle that emits a diffused nonglaring light of not more than 0.05 candela per square inch of area.
(b) Any diffused nonglaring light shall not display red to the front, but may display other colors. A diffused nonglaring light shall not resemble nor be installed within 12 inches or in such position as to interfere with the visibility or effectiveness of any required lamp, reflector, or other device upon the vehicle.
(c) A diffused nonglaring lamp or device, other than a display sign authorized by subdivision (d), shall be limited in size to an area of 720 square inches and where any lease, rental, or donation is involved the installation of the lamp or device shall be limited to those vehicles operated either primarily within business or residential districts or municipalities, or between business districts, residential districts, and municipalities in close proximity.
(d) An internally illuminated sign emitting not more than 0.25 candela per square inch and possessing copy which does not contain a white background may be displayed on each side, but not on the front or rear, of a trolley coach or of a bus being operated in urban or suburban service as described in Section 35107 of this code.
Amended Ch. 582, Stats. 1968. Effective July 16, 1968. Supersedes Ch. 144.
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Basically you can have ANY COLOR neon lighting on the underside of your car, both while driving and parked, as long as a) it's not RED and b) the tubes are hidden.
Here's what the
AutoI website has to say about the "no blue because it's for cops" assumption:
Quote:
Assumption - I know you can't have red facing forward or blue facing front or back.
FACT - A lot of officers are told that blue is their color, but when researching the vehicle code book, they have not been able to give a code number nor have we found a vehicle code that states blue is a police color, so they may be misinformed. Keep in mind it has to be in the vehicle code book to be a law... They just use it and everyone thinks that it is a police color... The vehicle code does state that only emergency vehicles may have RED facing the front. There is no mention of the color blue.
Assumption - Green is questionable since it is a Traffic Control Device color.
FACT - Just because a color is used on a traffic light doesn't mean it can't be used... look at RED or AMBER. Those are traffic light colors and are on all vehicles. There is nothing stating that green cannot be on a vehicle. RED cannot be used in the front but is perfectly legal on the sides and back when mounted correctly.
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