Fla. Stat. § 316.235
civil infractionverifiedAdditional lighting equipment
How Florida classifies this section
Noncriminal traffic infraction (civil)
“Except as provided in ss. 318.17 and 320.07(3)(c), any person cited for a violation of chapter 316, s. 320.0605, s. 320.07(3)(a) or (b), s. 322.065, s. 322.15(1), s. 322.16(2) or (3), s. 322.1615, s. 322.19, or s. 1006.66(3) is charged with a noncriminal infraction”
— § 318.14(1), Fla. Stat., verbatim
The statute, verbatim
316.235 Additional lighting equipment. — (1) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than two side cowl or fender lamps which shall emit an amber or white light without glare. (2) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than one running board courtesy lamp on each side thereof which shall emit a white or amber light without glare. (3) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with one or more lamps or devices underneath the motor vehicle as long as such lamps or devices do not emit light in violation of s. 316.2397(1) or (7) or s. 316.238. (4) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with one or more backup lamps either separately or in combination with other lamps, but any such backup lamp or lamps shall not be lighted when the motor vehicle is in forward motion. (5) Any vehicle 80 inches or more in overall width, if not otherwise required by s. 316.2225, may be equipped with not more than three identification lamps showing to the front which shall emit an amber light without glare and not more than three identification lamps showing to the rear which shall emit a red light without glare. Such lamps shall be mounted as specified in this chapter. (6) A bus may be equipped with a deceleration lighting system that cautions following vehicles that the bus is slowing, is preparing to stop, or is stopped. Such lighting system shall consist of red or amber lights mounted in horizontal alignment on the rear of the vehicle at the vertical centerline of the vehicle, no greater than 12 inches apart, not higher than the lower edge of the rear window or, if the vehicle has no rear window, not higher than 100 inches from the ground. Such lights shall be visible from a distance of not less than 300 feet to the rear in normal sunlight. Lights are permitted to light and flash during deceleration, braking, or standing and idling of the bus. Vehicular hazard warning flashers may be used in conjunction with or in lieu of a rear-mounted deceleration lighting system. (7) A violation of this section is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a nonmoving violation as provided in chapter 318. History. — s. 1, ch. 71-135; s. 27, ch. 76-31; s. 3, ch. 86-23; s. 185, ch. 99-248; s. 8, ch. 2016-239; s. 1, ch. 2019-92.
sha256 5d5bc9a19d838a19785665c35a3e319d… · 2025 Fla. Stat., dual fetch-path pipeline · permanent corpus page →
Which text, as of when
2025 Florida Statuteslast amended 2019Decoded against the 2025 Florida Statutes as ingested — dual fetch-path verified, hash-pinned. Session laws amend sections on their own effective dates; the 2026 Laws of Florida are indexed as the corpus's overlay.
History. — s. 1, ch. 71-135; s. 27, ch. 76-31; s. 3, ch. 86-23; s. 185, ch. 99-248; s. 8, ch. 2016-239; s. 1, ch. 2019-92.
License points — the scale, shown
Point values attach on conviction, under § 322.27(3)(d)'s graduated scale. Which row a case lands on can turn on facts the citation and the disposition determine — the rows that could reach this section are shown with their own words and conditions. The scale is shown, not applied.
“All other moving violations (including parking on a highway outside the limits of a municipality)—3 points.”
“Any moving violation covered in this paragraph, excluding unlawful speed and unlawful use of a wireless communications device, resulting in a crash—4 points.”
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The War Room reads the statute box off your citation (typed, or photographed in your browser — the image never uploads), computes your 30-day window with the arithmetic shown, and lays out every option with its consequences quoted. Free with a verified account; no payment, no card.
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Is a section 316.235 ticket criminal or a civil infraction in Florida?
Section 316.235 sits in the noncriminal traffic infraction framework: Except as provided in ss. 318.17 and 320.07(3)(c), any person cited for a violation of chapter 316, s. 320.0605, s. 320.07(3)(a) or (b), s. 322.065, s. 322.15(1), s. 322.16(2) or (3), s. 322.1615, s. 322.19, or s. 1006.6… (§ 318.14(1), Fla. Stat.). The § 318.17 criminal exceptions do not name this section.
What is the deadline after a section 316.235 citation?
Under § 318.14(4)(a), a person charged with a noncriminal infraction who does not elect to appear generally has 30 days after the date of issuance to pay or enter the clerk's payment plan. The War Room computes the exact window from your citation's issuance date, arithmetic shown, and § 318.15 states what follows a missed window. Verify any date with the clerk of the county on the citation.
What are the options after a section 316.235 ticket?
The § 318.14 menu, where it applies: pay the penalty (an admission by statute), enter a payment plan, elect the basic driver improvement course where eligible (adjudication withheld, no points, once per 12 months and eight times lifetime), or request the infraction hearing where the state must prove the infraction beyond a reasonable doubt (§ 318.14(6)). Any option can be walked with a licensed attorney — choosing is yours, or one to make with counsel.
How many license points can section 316.235 carry?
Points attach on conviction under § 322.27(3)(d)'s graduated scale. The rows that could reach this section carry 3, 4 points, with conditions the statute itself states (crash involvement, speed over the limit, school-zone factors). The scale is shown, not applied — which row fits a case depends on facts the citation and the disposition determine.
Can this page tell me what to do about my ticket?
No — and that line is the product. It shows the statute verbatim, the classification, the point rows, and the options with their stated consequences. What to do about a specific ticket is a decision for you, or for a licensed attorney; the free War Room decodes your citation, and the attorney connection is free to request with the firm billing directly.
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