Whether your RV trailer travels take you to the lush Olympic peninsula of Washington State, to the energetic Pacific northwestern city of Seattle or the Columbia River Gorge on the eastern side of the Cascade Range, you should be acquainted, and in compliance, with Washington State requirements for trailer lights.
All Trailers
Trailers operating in Washington State require two red tail lamps. Each of these tail lights must be located at the rear of the trailer, one on each side. Two additional lights called stop lamps, or brake lights, must also be located at the rear of the trailer. These may be in conjunction with the tail lamp units.
Trailers must also have electrical turn signal lights that are operated by the driver from within the towing vehicle.
The trailer license plate must be illuminated. The illuminating light must be white. It can be connected or operated in conjunction with either tail lamp.
Red reflectors are required. Two of them must be present and operable, one located near each of the two sides of the rear of the trailer.
Trailer Width 80 Inches or More
On trailers that are 80 inches or greater in width, two red clearance lights must be displayed. These two red lamps must be at the rear of the trailer and located at the highest and widest points of the trailer. Usually, the highest, widest points are the body or the fenders of the trailer's permanent structure. Also, two amber clearance lights are required. These amber lights must be at the front and located at the highest, widest points of the permanent structure. Three red lamps for identification must be located on the rear of trailer near the top of the trailer's permanent structure. These must be situated as closely as practical to the trailer's vertical center line. Trailers 80 inches wide or more must also have the following reflectors: A red reflector must be located on each side at the rear; an amber reflector must be located on each side at the front.
Trailer Length 30 Feet or More
On trailers with a length over all (LOA) of 30 feet or more, the following additional marker lamps are required: On each side, there must be one side marker lamp that is amber in color; also required is one amber reflector. The reflector must be located centrally with respect to the trailer's length.
References
Writer Bio
Arizona-based Mary Schultz has contributed articles about family, health, home improvement, agriculture and travel to newspapers and magazines. For over three award-winning decades as a marketing writer, Schultz has focused on technology, financial and insurance services and products, medical care, health and fitness, community heritage, tourism and charitable causes. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, honors English, from California State University, Northridge.
