Kentucky Statutes 189.920 – Flashing lights and sirens
Current as of: 2024 | Check for updates
|
Other versions
(1) All fire department, rescue squad, or publicly owned emergency management agency emergency vehicles and all ambulances shall be equipped with one (1) or more flashing, rotating, or oscillating red lights, visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred (500) feet to the front of the vehicle, and a siren, whistle, or bell, capable of emitting a sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than five hundred (500) feet. This equipment shall be in addition to any other equipment required by the motor vehicle laws.
(2) All state, county, or municipal police vehicles and all sheriffs’ vehicles used as emergency vehicles shall be equipped with one (1) or more flashing, rotating, or oscillating blue lights, visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred (500) feet to the front of the vehicle, and a siren, whistle, or bell, capable of emitting a sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than five hundred (500) feet. This equipment shall be in addition to any other equipment required by the motor vehicle laws.
(3) By ordinance, the governing body of any city or county may direct that the police or sheriffs’ vehicles in that jurisdiction be equipped with a combination of red and blue flashing, rotating, or oscillating lights.
(4) All public safety vehicles shall be equipped with one (1) or more flashing, rotating, or oscillating yellow lights, visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred (500) feet to the front of the vehicle. Yellow flashing, rotating, or oscillating lights may also be used by vehicles operated by mail carriers while on duty, funeral escort vehicles, and church buses.
(5) All Department of Corrections vehicles used as emergency vehicles shall be equipped with one (1) or more flashing, rotating, or oscillating blue lights, visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred (500) feet to the front of the vehicle. The Department of Corrections vehicles shall not be equipped with or use a siren, whistle, or bell. The equipment prescribed by this subsection shall be in addition to any other equipment required by motor vehicle laws.
(6) (a) If authorized by the legislative body of a county, urban-county, charter county, consolidated local government, or unified local government:
1. All publicly owned county jail and regional jail vehicles used as emergency vehicles may be equipped with the one (1) or more flashing, rotating, or oscillating blue lights, visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred (500) feet to the front of the vehicle; and
2. An elected jailer or the chief administrator of a county or regional jail not managed by an elected jailer may equip one (1) personally owned vehicle with one (1) or more flashing, rotating, or oscillating blue lights, visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred (500) feet to the front of the vehicle.
(b) Publicly owned county jail or regional jail vehicles shall not be equipped with
or use a siren, whistle, or bell.
(c) The equipment prescribed by this subsection shall be in addition to any other equipment required by the motor vehicle laws.
(7) Red flashing lights may be used by school buses.
(8) No emergency vehicle, public safety vehicle, or any other vehicle covered by KRS
189.910 to 189.950 shall use any light of any other color than those specified by KRS § 189.910 to KRS § 189.950. Sirens, whistles, and bells may not be used by vehicles other than those specified by KRS § 189.910 to KRS § 189.950, except that any vehicle may be equipped with a theft alarm signal device which is so arranged that it cannot be used by the driver as an ordinary warning signal.
(9) Vehicles used as command posts at incidents may be equipped with and use when on scene, a green rotating, oscillating, or flashing light. This light shall be in addition to the lights and sirens required in this section.
(10) A personal vehicle used by a paid or volunteer firefighter, ambulance personnel, or emergency services director who is responding to an emergency shall display the lights required in subsection (1) of this section.
(11) An elected coroner may equip a publicly or privately owned motor vehicle, or both, with flashing, rotating, or oscillating red and blue lights and a siren meeting the requirements of this section solely for the purpose of responding to a report of the death of a human being subject to the following terms and conditions:
(a) The coroner makes a written request to the legislative body of the county, urban-county, charter county, consolidated local government, or unified local government in which the coroner was elected to equip a publicly or privately owned motor vehicle, or both, with flashing, rotating, or oscillating red and blue lights and a siren meeting the requirements of this section, and that request is approved by the legislative body by ordinance or by court order;
(b) The coroner may use the lights and siren only while responding to the scene of the report of a death of a human being and shall not, KRS § 189.940 to the contrary notwithstanding, exceed the posted speed limit; and
(c) The permission granted pursuant to this section shall expire upon the coroner leaving office or the legislative body revoking the authorization.
(12) A deputy coroner certified pursuant to KRS Chapter 72 may equip a publicly owned or privately owned motor vehicle, or both, with flashing, rotating, or oscillating red and blue lights and a siren meeting the requirements of this section solely for the purpose of responding to a report of the death of a human being, subject to the following terms and conditions:
(a) The deputy coroner has made a written request to the coroner to equip a publicly owned or privately owned vehicle with flashing, rotating, or oscillating red and blue lights meeting the requirements of this section and the coroner has approved the request in writing;
(b) The coroner makes a written request to the legislative body of the county, urban-county, charter county, consolidated local government, or unified local government in which the coroner is elected to permit the deputy coroner to
equip a publicly owned motor vehicle or privately owned motor vehicle, or both, and that request has been approved by the legislative body by ordinance or by court order;
(c) The deputy coroner may use the lights and siren only while responding to the scene of the report of the death of a human being and shall not, KRS § 189.940 to the contrary notwithstanding, exceed the posted speed limit; and
(d) The permission granted pursuant to this section shall expire upon the coroner leaving office or the legislative body revoking the authorization.
Effective: June 8, 2011
History: Amended 2011 Ky. Acts ch. 17, sec. 2, effective June 8, 2011; and ch. 99, sec.
2, effective June 8, 2011. — Amended 2006 Ky. Acts ch. 173, sec. 25, effective July
12, 2006. — Amended 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 226, sec. 107, effective July 15, 1998. — Amended 1992 Ky. Acts ch. 211, sec. 17, effective July 14, 1992. — Amended 1986
Ky. Acts ch. 419, sec. 2, effective July 15, 1986. — Amended 1984 Ky. Acts ch. 55, sec. 1, effective July 13, 1984. — Created 1970 Ky. Acts ch. 93, sec. 2.
Legislative Research Commission (6/8/2011). This section was amended by 2011 Ky.
Acts chs. 17 and 99, which do not appear to be in conflict and have been codified together.
(2) All state, county, or municipal police vehicles and all sheriffs’ vehicles used as emergency vehicles shall be equipped with one (1) or more flashing, rotating, or oscillating blue lights, visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred (500) feet to the front of the vehicle, and a siren, whistle, or bell, capable of emitting a sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than five hundred (500) feet. This equipment shall be in addition to any other equipment required by the motor vehicle laws.
Terms Used In Kentucky Statutes 189.920
- City: includes town. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
- Department: means the Department of Highways. See Kentucky Statutes 189.010
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Motor vehicle: includes all vehicles, as defined in paragraph (a) of this subsection, except:
1. See Kentucky Statutes 189.010 - State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes territories, outlying possessions, and the District of Columbia. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
- Vehicle: includes :
1. See Kentucky Statutes 189.010
(3) By ordinance, the governing body of any city or county may direct that the police or sheriffs’ vehicles in that jurisdiction be equipped with a combination of red and blue flashing, rotating, or oscillating lights.
(4) All public safety vehicles shall be equipped with one (1) or more flashing, rotating, or oscillating yellow lights, visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred (500) feet to the front of the vehicle. Yellow flashing, rotating, or oscillating lights may also be used by vehicles operated by mail carriers while on duty, funeral escort vehicles, and church buses.
(5) All Department of Corrections vehicles used as emergency vehicles shall be equipped with one (1) or more flashing, rotating, or oscillating blue lights, visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred (500) feet to the front of the vehicle. The Department of Corrections vehicles shall not be equipped with or use a siren, whistle, or bell. The equipment prescribed by this subsection shall be in addition to any other equipment required by motor vehicle laws.
(6) (a) If authorized by the legislative body of a county, urban-county, charter county, consolidated local government, or unified local government:
1. All publicly owned county jail and regional jail vehicles used as emergency vehicles may be equipped with the one (1) or more flashing, rotating, or oscillating blue lights, visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred (500) feet to the front of the vehicle; and
2. An elected jailer or the chief administrator of a county or regional jail not managed by an elected jailer may equip one (1) personally owned vehicle with one (1) or more flashing, rotating, or oscillating blue lights, visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred (500) feet to the front of the vehicle.
(b) Publicly owned county jail or regional jail vehicles shall not be equipped with
or use a siren, whistle, or bell.
(c) The equipment prescribed by this subsection shall be in addition to any other equipment required by the motor vehicle laws.
(7) Red flashing lights may be used by school buses.
(8) No emergency vehicle, public safety vehicle, or any other vehicle covered by KRS
189.910 to 189.950 shall use any light of any other color than those specified by KRS § 189.910 to KRS § 189.950. Sirens, whistles, and bells may not be used by vehicles other than those specified by KRS § 189.910 to KRS § 189.950, except that any vehicle may be equipped with a theft alarm signal device which is so arranged that it cannot be used by the driver as an ordinary warning signal.
(9) Vehicles used as command posts at incidents may be equipped with and use when on scene, a green rotating, oscillating, or flashing light. This light shall be in addition to the lights and sirens required in this section.
(10) A personal vehicle used by a paid or volunteer firefighter, ambulance personnel, or emergency services director who is responding to an emergency shall display the lights required in subsection (1) of this section.
(11) An elected coroner may equip a publicly or privately owned motor vehicle, or both, with flashing, rotating, or oscillating red and blue lights and a siren meeting the requirements of this section solely for the purpose of responding to a report of the death of a human being subject to the following terms and conditions:
(a) The coroner makes a written request to the legislative body of the county, urban-county, charter county, consolidated local government, or unified local government in which the coroner was elected to equip a publicly or privately owned motor vehicle, or both, with flashing, rotating, or oscillating red and blue lights and a siren meeting the requirements of this section, and that request is approved by the legislative body by ordinance or by court order;
(b) The coroner may use the lights and siren only while responding to the scene of the report of a death of a human being and shall not, KRS § 189.940 to the contrary notwithstanding, exceed the posted speed limit; and
(c) The permission granted pursuant to this section shall expire upon the coroner leaving office or the legislative body revoking the authorization.
(12) A deputy coroner certified pursuant to KRS Chapter 72 may equip a publicly owned or privately owned motor vehicle, or both, with flashing, rotating, or oscillating red and blue lights and a siren meeting the requirements of this section solely for the purpose of responding to a report of the death of a human being, subject to the following terms and conditions:
(a) The deputy coroner has made a written request to the coroner to equip a publicly owned or privately owned vehicle with flashing, rotating, or oscillating red and blue lights meeting the requirements of this section and the coroner has approved the request in writing;
(b) The coroner makes a written request to the legislative body of the county, urban-county, charter county, consolidated local government, or unified local government in which the coroner is elected to permit the deputy coroner to
equip a publicly owned motor vehicle or privately owned motor vehicle, or both, and that request has been approved by the legislative body by ordinance or by court order;
(c) The deputy coroner may use the lights and siren only while responding to the scene of the report of the death of a human being and shall not, KRS § 189.940 to the contrary notwithstanding, exceed the posted speed limit; and
(d) The permission granted pursuant to this section shall expire upon the coroner leaving office or the legislative body revoking the authorization.
Effective: June 8, 2011
History: Amended 2011 Ky. Acts ch. 17, sec. 2, effective June 8, 2011; and ch. 99, sec.
2, effective June 8, 2011. — Amended 2006 Ky. Acts ch. 173, sec. 25, effective July
12, 2006. — Amended 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 226, sec. 107, effective July 15, 1998. — Amended 1992 Ky. Acts ch. 211, sec. 17, effective July 14, 1992. — Amended 1986
Ky. Acts ch. 419, sec. 2, effective July 15, 1986. — Amended 1984 Ky. Acts ch. 55, sec. 1, effective July 13, 1984. — Created 1970 Ky. Acts ch. 93, sec. 2.
Legislative Research Commission (6/8/2011). This section was amended by 2011 Ky.
Acts chs. 17 and 99, which do not appear to be in conflict and have been codified together.