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Maryland Ride Height & Lift Laws (2026)

Info: At Maryland safety inspection, bumper height can't exceed 20 in on a passenger car or 28 in on a light truck or multipurpose vehicle, and you can't add bumper extensions to pass after a lift.

InfoVerified Jun 19, 2026
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At Maryland safety inspection, bumper height can't exceed 20 in on a passenger car or 28 in on a light truck or multipurpose vehicle, and you can't add bumper extensions to pass after a lift. (COMAR 11.14.02.07.)

Official source: regs.maryland.gov →

General legal information, not legal advice — verify important decisions with a licensed attorney.

Ride Height & Lift in states bordering Maryland

The same rule in each neighboring state LawLert has verified, from that state’s own official source.

  • Delaware caps bumper height at 22 in on a passenger car or wagon, or 30 in on other vehicles (measured to the bottom of the bumper). After a lift, the frame rail can't sit higher than the bumper, and the gap between the body and frame can't exceed 3 in. (21 Del. C. §4318.)

    Verified Jun 19, 2026 · Source: delcode.delaware.gov · Full Delaware rule →

  • No bumper/frame ride-height or lift limit; rule only requires front/rear bumpers be installed — DCMR Title 18 §733 (Bumpers and Fenders).

    Verified Jun 19, 2026 · Source: dcrules.elaws.us · Full District of Columbia rule →

  • No statutory suspension-lift limit. Bumpers are required front and rear unless the vehicle was originally designed and manufactured without them (75 Pa.C.S. Sec. 4536), and state safety inspection rejects a vehicle if no part of the main horizontal bumper bar falls within 16-20 inches above ground level on passenger vehicles, or within 16-30 inches on multipurpose passenger vehicles and light trucks (67 Pa. Code Sec. 175.80).

    Verified Jul 28, 2026 · Source: pacodeandbulletin.gov · Full Pennsylvania rule →

  • Virginia caps bumper height at 14-22 in on cars, and up to 28-31 in on trucks by weight class. The body can be raised no more than 3 in, and the front bumper can't sit 4 in or more above the rear (Virginia's "squatted truck" ban). (Va. Code 46.2-1063.)

    Verified Jun 19, 2026 · Source: law.lis.virginia.gov · Full Virginia rule →

  • For vehicles up to 10,000 lb, West Virginia requires bumpers to sit 6-31 in off the ground, prohibits front lift blocks, and limits a body lift to 3 in over the factory spacer. (W. Va. Code 17C-15-48.)

    Verified Jun 19, 2026 · Source: code.wvlegislature.gov · Full West Virginia rule →

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