Is there a law for minimum headlight power?

[Loobed]

Are there any (California) laws stating the minimum amount of light you must have on your bicycle while riding at night? This would be for both head and tail lights.

I have an old Vetta headlight, but the mount broke and I can't find a replacement. I didn't feel like buying a new bike light, so I mounted a small LED flashlight on handlebars. I was just wondering if it is legal.

 

[dparm]

I'm sure there is, though that kind of stuff is rarely enforced. As long as you have something, the police are usually fine with it. Heck, just having any kind of light is better than a lot of cyclists on Chicago's streets at night.

 

[Charlie1935]

In Chicago a light would show where you were so the shooter would stand a better chance of making a kill.

 

[JHZR2]

I got an 18650 LI-ion battery powered light and did just that. Perfect.

 

[eljefino]

Have read "visible from 200 feet" for a spec like this. IE if you focus it right and they can see a dot that's you from 200 feet. Anything should count for this. Varies from state to state but law was enacted back in the bad old days of incandescent bulbs and eveready batteries.

 

[huffmuds9320]

There is CA vehicle code 21201 that specify the general requirements for bike lights. Its probably not really enforced. But if something happens and the bike did not have lights or reflectors then thats different story.

In reality as long as you have some kind of light source for front and rear that all thats fine. From my observation many bike riders around here at night use use very small lights that are barely visible but still can be seen from a block away. Even a basic flashlight can be said is visible from 300 feet away.