§ 4318 — Bumper, frame rail, and body heights

(a) No passenger vehicle or station wagon that is required to be registered under Chapter 21 of this title shall be registered or operated upon any highway of the State if the bumper height of such vehicle exceeds 22 inches from the ground to the bottom of the bumper, or if the vehicle frame rail is higher than the attached bumper, or if the maximum distance between the vehicle body and vehicle frame rail exceeds 3 inches.

(b) Vehicles not included in subsection (a) of this section that are required to be registered under Chapter 21 of this title shall not be registered or operated upon any highway of the State if the bumper height of such vehicle exceeds 30 inches from the ground to the bottom of the bumper, or if the vehicle frame rail is higher than the attached bumper, or if the maximum distance between the vehicle body and vehicle frame rail exceeds 3 inches.

(c) The following vehicles are exempt from this section: antique motor vehicles registered under § 2196 of this title; authorized emergency vehicles; motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or greater; and vehicles registered with farm truck plates (FT tags), as defined in § 2113(1) of this title.

(d) Any person found guilty of operating a motor vehicle in violation of this section shall, for the first offense, be fined not less than $50 nor more than $115 For each subsequent like offense within one year, such person shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $230. Measurements made with an over-the-counter measuring device shall be prima facie evidence of a violation.

Legislative History

62 Del. Laws, c. 147, § 1 ; 68 Del. Laws, c. 9, § 45 ; 70 Del. Laws, c. 85, § 1 ; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1