Topic: Cali. Door Law

[91 ex-cab]

What is the law in California regarding half doors, tube doors, no doors? I remember hearing something like you must have at least a 7 inch lip off of the floor

[Sparkplug]

I been pulled over at least 10 times in my town with no doors, twice by CHP. Only thing they ever said or cited me for was not having 2 mirrors total. Never said a word about doors. I asked once, and he said that jeeps have em, so y not. Im in red bluff

[Goldrush]

as long you have two mirrors, you should be fine. im in fresno and i havent been pulled over yet..

[Talon84x4]

It's the mirrors they want you to have

[91 ex-cab [OP]]

Ok so i can rock no doors as long as i have at least two mirrors?

[4LoRunner]

whats a good way to mount mirrors if ur sportin no doors?

[HDcruiser]

whats a good way to mount mirrors if ur sportin no doors?

If you have a roll cage, maybe you can tie a removable mirror off that. It might look a little ghetto, but it will get you to the trail.. Here is a picture of my tube door.. maybe you can use my mirror as an idea..

As for no doors, My friend is a CHP officer for 22 years and i ask him the same questions. He said that all is required are mirrors. Hope that helps you guys.. 

[BUDDERS]

You might want to look for some handlebar style mounts off of a motorcycle if your running tube doors around town.

[Shamb]

even if you don't have tube doors just make a bracket that bolts into the existing door mounts and extends out w/ a mirror attached... similar to the pictures minus the door itself... would be easy.... you can even notch it so when you want to pull the mirrors off you just loosen the 12mm bolts and slip it off.

[Sparkplug]

I ended up unscrewing mirror out of holder, and bolting it straight to the hinge, that way it was legal, but still folded all the way in on the trails

[jimbo74]

there is no law that says you must have doors... you just have to have mirrors..... if a cop pulls you over for no doors, then make sure you get the vehicle code number he cited.....

[Tofudude]

Just look at UPS trucks...they run with their doors open, same as having no doors. Has anybody done fender mirrors?

[91 ex-cab [OP]]

Just look at UPS trucks...they run with their doors open, same as having no doors. Has anybody done fender mirrors?

Thats what i was thinking and i think it might be more diffucult to do the fender mirror.

[sweetmeat]

My neighbor is a local cop and he says the california law on doors is if it came with removable doors you don't need them but if it came with non removable doors you need them.

A few turns of a wrench they are removable though right

No matter what your rollin the dice just the way it goes. I say rock it with no doors untill you have a problem with johnny law

[91 ex-cab [OP]]

ha well its only a few bolts so i would consider them removable, I mean its not like there welded on.

[jimbo74]

ask the cop to show you the vehicle code where it states it must have doors..... there isnt one


now they might try to nail you for unsafe modification, or something like that, but that is really reaching......

the mirrors are a must though

cops usually make up some bs law when they can't back it up with a vehicle code.......


modified to make more sense (well at least ib my head anywyas )

[91 ex-cab [OP]]

ask the cop to show you the vehicle code where it states it must have doors..... there isnt one


now they might try to nail you for unsafe modification, or something like that, but that is really reaching......

the mirrors are a must though

cops usually make up some bs law they can't back up.......

Thats a good argument cause i didn't see anything about it on the dmv sight.

[NorCalToy]

i took a piece of flat metal and put a 3/8" bolt through it then slip it through one of the hinge holes and tighten it up. then slapped a 3" convex stickon mirror to it.

also for the 2 mirrors, im pretty sure a driverside mirror is required...i dont remember where i read or heard it but if you also notice the older base model tercels came with a rear view and driverside only.

[91 ex-cab [OP]]

It states you must have two mirrors including one affixed to the left hand side.

[crazykooter]

My neighbor is a local cop and he says the california law on doors is if it came with removable doors you don't need them but if it came with non removable doors you need them.

A few turns of a wrench they are removable though right

No matter what your rollin the dice just the way it goes. I say rock it with no doors until you have a problem with johnny law

This is the correct law on doors.  Ive talked to CHP and local police and IF your vehicle comes with doors that are bolted on then they must remain on while driving on public streets.  At the moment I dont have a rear bumper on and the police say I must have one on since it came factory with one.  This I thought was rather silly but cali laws are very strict.  I did ask about half doors and there is nothing in the law preventing them since they are for the most part factory.  Even tube doors are not considered legal here.

[91 ex-cab [OP]]

This is the correct law on doors.  Ive talked to CHP and local police and IF your vehicle comes with doors that are bolted on then they must remain on while driving on public streets.  At the moment I dont have a rear bumper on and the police say I must have one on since it came factory with one.  This I thought was rather silly but cali laws are very strict.  I did ask about half doors and there is nothing in the law preventing them since they are for the most part factory.  Even tube doors are not considered legal here.

My buddy runs his tube doors all over the place and he's never been pulled over but maybe he is just lucky so far because he also isn't running mud flaps with 38's. Maybe if you cover the tube door with fabric they won't care.

[crazykooter]

I think they are ok with tube doors since they do offer a fall out protection. Heck the laws are pretty strict but its always at the discretion of the officer.
I was gonna get a set of old doors to make half doors but I would rather run no doors on the trail.  I was trying to figure out a way to take my doors off at the trail and secure them in my bed so they wouldnt get beat up or break the glass.

[91 ex-cab [OP]]

I see a lot of trucks with there doors in the back of the truck on the rubicon, It just doesnt seem like a good idea to me I barely have room for camping equipment and food let alone my doors

[crazykooter]

True but If I could mount them out of the way so I could lay down in bed it would be fine.  Was almost thinking of making some sort of mount on my roll bar but the more I look at it the more I say screw it.  Its either risk the doors in the bed or get half doors made.

[emsvitil]

I wouldn't think the Air Conditioning would work very well with a half or no door..............


 

[coloradocrawler]

boy- am i glad i live in CO where the rules are not striclty enforced. ive driven to the trail, through town, passed cops with half doors and tube doors, and havent had an issue yet. knock on wood. but on the other side ive watched cops drive right by the guy who refuses to fix his hanging bumper, blue smoke blowin, windshield all craked, bungee cord holding the door closed and not pull them over.

ive even been witness to 2 town cops pass right by the car with the unsecured matress on top and the driver and passenger are holding onto it as they drive down roads through town.

i would think cali cops would be "ok" with half doors- as long as you have both hinges and use the factory latch. its just like having the ablilty to roll your window down real far.

[Sway]

You dont need to have doors, removable or non removable its all the same. Last year I made a call to the DMV to ask them, they didnt have the answer an said to call CHP cause they would be the ones to give you a ticket. I called the CHP an asked the guy that answered the phone, he first kinda laughed an said to me, I just took mine of for the summer, yo dont need to have doors as long as you have mirrors.

If you are worried about it, just make half doors.

[BLACKDOG]

It doesn't matter what the DMV tells you, what a CHP officer tells you, or what your buddy the cop says.  Pure and simple, if it is in the vehicle code, it is enforcable, if it is not, then you're good to go.  I ran my truck every summer with no doors when I live in Cali, and never got busted.

It is required to have 2 mirrors, your rearview and a drivers side mirror is perfectly acceptable. 

At worse case, it is a fix-it ticket offense, last I had one, it was $10 bucks and proof of repair at a CHP office.