Do LED strip lights need FCC certification?

What changes the answer

• Wireless control. A Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee or 433 MHz RF remote is an intentional radiator. Under 47 CFR 15.201(b) it must be certified by a Telecommunication Certification Body (TCB) before it is marketed. An infrared remote is not a radio transmitter.
• Pre-certified radio module. If the controller uses a module with its own modular grant under 47 CFR 15.212, the radio is covered by that grant and the product must show "Contains FCC ID" with the module's ID. The strip and controller still need SDoC testing for unintentional emissions.
• Digital controller. A controller that generates timing signals above 9 kHz using digital techniques is a "digital device" under 47 CFR 15.3(k). Most dimmable and color-changing strips fall here.
• Passive strip. A strip with only LEDs and resistors generates little RF of its own. The adapter is still a Class B external switching power supply that needs SDoC or certification under 15.101.
• Covered List. Equipment produced by an entity on the FCC Covered List cannot use SDoC and must be certified (47 CFR 15.103(j)).

What to do

1. Have an accredited EMC lab test the strip, controller and adapter as sold to the Part 15 Subpart B Class B limits for radiated and AC line conducted emissions.
2. For SDoC, include the compliance information required by 47 CFR 2.1077 with the product: name and model, the Part 15 compliance statement, and the name, address and phone or web contact of the U.S. responsible party.
3. Know who that responsible party is. For imported SDoC equipment it is the importer, unless a U.S. retailer or OEM agrees in writing to take over (47 CFR 2.909(b)). It must be located in the United States.
4. Print the 47 CFR 15.19 statement on the product, or in the manual and on the packaging when the product is too small for 4-point text.
5. If there is a transmitter, the grantee applies through a TCB, receives an FCC ID and labels the device under 47 CFR 2.925.