(A) It shall be unlawful to operate any vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 9,000 pounds or less or any motor vehicle registered as a recreational vehicle under this title on any highway of this state unless the motor vehicle is equipped with both a front and rear bumper.
(B) Except as indicated below, maximum bumper heights of motor vehicles shall be determined by weight category of gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) measured from a level surface to the highest point of the bottom of the bumper when the vehicle is unloaded and the tires are inflated to the manufacturer's recommended pressure.
(C) Maximum bumper heights are as follows:
Maximum Front Bumper Height (inches) | Maximum Rear Bumper Height (inches) | |
All motor vehicles of the
first division except multipurpose passenger vehicles: | 22 | 22 |
Multipurpose passenger vehicles and all other motor vehicles: | ||
4,500 lbs. and under GVWR | 24 | 26 |
4,501 lbs. through 7,500 lbs. GVWR | 27 | 29 |
7,501 lbs. through 9,000 lbs. GVWR | 28 | 30 |
However, nothing in this section shall prevent the installation of bumper guards.
(D) This section shall not apply to street rods, custom vehicles, motor vehicles designed or modified primarily for off-highway purposes while the vehicles are in tow or to motorcycles or motor driven cycles, nor to motor vehicles registered as antique vehicles when the original design of the antique vehicles did not include bumpers. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any motor vehicle driven during the first 1,000 recorded miles of that vehicle, when the vehicle is owned or operated by a manufacturer, dealer, or transporter displaying a special plate or plates as described in Ch. 95-1/2, § 3 while such vehicle is:
(1) Being delivered from the manufacturing or assembly plant directly to the purchasing dealer or distributor, or from one dealership or distributor to another;
(2) Being moved by the most direct route from one location to another for the purpose of installing special bodies or equipment; or
(3) Being driven for purposes of demonstration by a prospective buyer with the dealer or his agent present in the cab of the vehicle during the demonstration.
(E) The dealer shall, prior to the receipt of any deposit made or any contract signed by the buyer to secure the purchase of a vehicle, inform the buyer, by written statement signed by the purchaser to indicate acknowledgement of the contents thereof, of the legal requirements of this section regarding front and rear bumpers if the vehicle is not to be equipped with bumpers at the time of delivery.
(ILCS Ch. 625, Act 5, § 12-608) Penalty, see § 70.999
Cross-reference
Suspension system, § 74.030