# COMAR Title 11 — Department of Transportation

## Subtitle 13 — Motor Vehicle Administration — Vehicle Equipment

### Chapter 03 — Bumpers for Class A, Class E, and Class M Motor Vehicles

**Authority:** Transportation Article, §§12-104(b) and 22-105, Annotated Code of Maryland; 49CFR 581

**Administrative History:** Effective date: January 22, 1975 (2:2 Md. R. 86)

**Administrative History:** Regulation .01 amended effective September 16, 1991 (18:18 Md. R. 2006); October 27, 2014 (41:21 Md. R. 1260)

**Administrative History:** Regulation .02 amended effective September 16, 1991 (18:18 Md. R. 2006)

**Administrative History:** Regulation .03 amended effective September 16, 1991 (18:18 Md. R. 2006)

**Administrative History:** Regulation .03A, H amended effective October 27, 2014 (41:21 Md. R. 1260)

**Administrative History:** Regulation .04 amended effective September 16, 1991 (18:18 Md. R. 2006)

#### Regulation .01 Purpose.

*COMAR 11.13.03.01*

In accordance with Transportation Article, §22-105, Annotated Code of Maryland, the Motor Vehicle Administration and the Automotive Safety Enforcement Division of the Department of State Police have set forth the following requirements for bumpers on Class A passenger vehicles, Class E truck vehicles with a registered GVW of 18,000 pounds or less, and Class M multipurpose vehicles.

#### Regulation .02 Applicable Vehicles.

*COMAR 11.13.03.02*

Each Class A passenger motor vehicle, Class E truck motor vehicle with a registered GVW of 18,000 pounds or less, or Class M multipurpose passenger motor vehicle when operated on the highways of Maryland, shall be equipped with a front bumper, and a rear bumper if a rear bumper was originally installed by the manufacturer.

#### Regulation .03 Bumper Standards.

*COMAR 11.13.03.03*

Each required bumper shall:

A. Comply with all applicable provisions of the Transportation Article — Maryland Vehicle Law, Code of Maryland Regulations, and all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and Regulations, including 49 CFR 581, as promulgated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration;

B. Be an original or an approved type;

C. Be mounted equivalent to original design;

D. Be free of broken or missing parts, sharp edges, or abnormal protrusions;

E. Extend at least to the lateral width of the vehicle and as set forth in this section:

  (1) This applies to the front bumper and rear bumper, when required, on a vehicle less than 80 inches in overall width;

  (2) A truck vehicle with a registered GVW of 18,000 pounds or less and 80 inches or more in overall width which is so constructed that the body or chassis without body has a rear ground clearance of more than 30 inches when empty shall be equipped as follows:

    (a) With a bumper or device serving similar purposes which shall be constructed and located that:

      (i) The clearance between the effective bottom of the bumper or device and the ground does not exceed 30 inches when the vehicle is empty,

      (ii) The maximum distance between the closest points between the bumper, or device, if more than one is used, may not exceed 24 inches,

      (iii) The maximum transverse distance from the widest part of the motor vehicle at the rear to the bumper or device may not exceed 18 inches,

      (iv) The rear bumper or device shall be located not more than 24 inches forward of the extreme rear of the vehicle, and

      (v) The bumper or device shall be substantially constructed and firmly attached;

    (b) Every motor vehicle constructed and maintained so that the body, chassis, or other parts of the vehicle which afford the rear end protection is in compliance with this section;

F. On a Class A passenger vehicle, be not higher than 20 inches from the bottom edge of the main horizontal bar of the bumper to the ground on which the vehicle stands;

G. On a Class E truck vehicle with a registered GVW of 10,000 pounds or less, be not higher than 28 inches from the bottom edge of the main horizontal bar of the bumper to the ground on which the vehicle stands;

H. On a Class E truck vehicle with a registered GVW of more than 10,000 pounds but not more than 18,000 pounds:

  (1) Be not higher than 30 inches from the bottom of the main horizontal bar of the bumper to the ground on which the vehicle stands; or

  (2) If truck is used for spraying agricultural crops, be not higher than 32 inches from the bottom of the main horizontal bar of the bumper to the ground on which the vehicle stands;

I. On a Class M multipurpose vehicle, be not higher than 28 inches from the bottom edge of the main horizontal bar of the bumper to the ground on which the vehicle stands.

#### Regulation .04 Modification of Bumper.

*COMAR 11.13.03.04*

A bumper may not be modified or extended upward or downward to compensate for vehicle suspension or body alterations or modifications.

#### Regulation .05 Replacement Bumper.

*COMAR 11.13.03.05*

Every replacement bumper shall be constructed, designed and mounted to comply with all requirements established in this chapter.