New Hampshire Headlight & Wiper Law

When you light up in New Hampshire

Myth-buster: New Hampshire has NO 'wipers on, lights on' law. RSA 265:109 requires lights only from a half-hour after sunset to a half-hour before sunrise - there's no wiper trigger and no low-visibility footage rule on the books (a 2018 bill to add the wiper rule died in the House). Smart drivers run headlights in rain and snow anyway - DRLs won't cover you, your tail lamps stay dark. Full switch, low beam.

Night, low visibility, and daytime

• Night window: from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise - and that's the whole statutory trigger. RSA 265:109 has NO windshield-wiper leg and NO low-visibility footage rule (unlike its New England neighbors). A 2018 bill (HB 1350) that would have required headlights whenever wipers run in bad weather was ruled inexpedient to legislate and never became law.
• No statute requires headlights in daytime rain or snow, and none mandates them in work zones - obey any posted 'Headlights On' signs. Even so, heavy-weather wiper use is exactly when you want to be seen, so run full headlamps (not AUTO or DRL): daytime running lights leave your tail and marker lamps dark. Low beam.

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