Missouri Code of State Regulations
Title 11 - DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
Division 50 - Missouri State Highway Patrol
Chapter 2 - Motor Vehicle Inspection
Section 11 CSR 50-2.311 - Bumpers

(1) Definitions.

(2) The bumper shall be horizontally mounted on the vehicle centerline by bolting or welding to the vehicle frame as originally installed by the motor vehicle manufacturer. The bumper must extend in width to the originally manufactured tread width for the motor vehicle.

(3) Measurement. Measurements shall be taken with the motor vehicle in an unloaded condition on a level surface with the tires inflated to the manufacturer's specifications. Measurements shall be taken from the surface on which the vehicle stands to the highest point of the bottom of the bumper (excluding any bumper attachments). If the vehicle is equipped with a nonstock-type bumper the measurement shall be taken from a point not more than five inches (5") below the center-line of the bumper mounting bracket. The bottom of the nonstock-type bumper, however, shall not be higher than the measurements contained in section (4).

(4) Inspection Procedure. Inspect motor vehicle bumpers for proper bumper height, mounting, construction and presence of bumpers. (Pickup trucks and other commercial vehicles not equipped by the manufacturer with a rear bumper as standard equipment are not required to be equipped with a rear bumper.) Vehicle design will determine how a vehicle is classified. Passenger cars and station wagons which are designed and manufactured solely as passenger vehicles will be classified as motor vehicles, except commercial motor vehicles, and must comply with the twenty-two inch (22") maximum bumper height. Motor vehicles designed as multi-purpose or utility vehicles, including Broncos, Blazers, Suburbans, Jeeps, vans, mini-vans, pickups and mini-pickups, will be considered as commercial motor vehicles. The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of these vehicles will determine the maximum bumper height as specified in the statute. The following chart depicts various bumper configurations and correct locations to measure:

Click to view image

The following bumper heights apply to motor vehicles with a GVWR up through eleven thousand five hundred pounds (11,500 lbs.):

A motor vehicle will not be rejected for improper bumper height if the motor vehicle was originally equipped by the manufacturer with a bumper that exceeds the stated heights or if the motor vehicle was originally equipped by the manufacturer with a bumper that fails to comply with subsection (1)(A).