Radar Detector and Laser Jammer Laws
Are you considering purchasing a radar detector and not sure if they are legal in your state or in area you will be driving?
For the most part here in the USA you don’t have anything to worry about because the FCC passed a law called the communications act of 1934, which made it legal for you to own a radar detector throughout the USA.
However there are exceptions, which I will explain now.
Exception #1 – The commonwealth of Virginia and Washington DC prohibits radar detectors in all vehicles
Exception #2 – All US Military bases have federal laws prohibiting the use of a radar detector while driving on base
Exception #3 – Several Federal Parks including Yellowstone
Exception #4 – Prohibits radar detectors in all commercial vehicles weighing over 18,000 pounds.
Now there are also two states that do prohibit you from mounting anything to your windshield, including a GPS or radar detector and those states are California and Minnesota.
Now those of you who may be visiting our neighbor to the North or our Canadian visitors, Canada is not as radar detector friendly as the US as they only allow the use of a radar detector in the Providences of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
So a question you maybe asking yourself about is how would an officer know if I have a radar detector if I’m driving in Virginia or a big rig?
Well police use a device called a Spectre that is a radar detector detector that will alert an officer that a radar detector is within close proximity.
This device will alert to virtually every radar detector ever made with the exception of 4 and those are the Escort REDLiNE, the Beltronics STi Magnum, the Beltronics STi Plus and the Passport 9500ci.
These four radar detectors are all based on Escort’s M3 dual antenna design, which not only makes them 100% undetectable to all radar detectors, but also enables them to have extreme range.
Windshield Mounting Laws
Now lets discuss California and Minnesota’s windshield mounting laws.
The easiest way to conform to their laws is to Velcro your radar detector to your dash.
However a better way is consider the BlendMount rearview mirror mounts that enable you to mount your Escort, Beltronics or Valentine One right to your mirror, making it easy to see and access.
Radar Jammer/Scrambler Laws
The FCC does have very harsh laws regarding radar jamming, which can result in a $50,000 fine and 5 years in prison.
So now you maybe asking yourself how does that company Rocky Mountain Radar get away with selling their radar scramblers?
Well simple, they don’t work as they advertise.
In fact on my website RadarJammer.com I’ve offered a $50,000 reward since 2004 for anyone that can show me one of their devices that work as they advertise and I have not paid out a penny.
Now their phony marketing practices have not gone un-noticed as there have been a number of news documentaries by 20/20, the Fox Network and CNBC which resulted in the FCC fining Rocky Mountain Radar $25,000.
Laser Jamming Laws
As laser is light and not radio waves laser jamming does not fall under the jurisdiction of the FCC but instead the Food and Drug Administration and currently there are no federal laws regarding laser jamming.
However there are a number of states that have passed their own laws, which include:
- California
- Colorado
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Nebraska
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington D.C.
Now in my article on how to install and use a laser jammer I go into much more detail on properly programming and using your laser jammer so you can avoid getting caught in these states.
However the bottom line is to program it so it auto shuts off a few seconds after alerting you so you have time to slow down before the officer captures your speed.
