Colorado § 42-4-238 Blue and red lights - illegal use or possession

Colorado Statutes

§ 42-4-238 — Blue and red lights - illegal use or possession

Colorado § 42-4-238

Title 42Vehicles and

Art.Regulation of Vehicles and Traffic

This text of Colorado § 42-4-238 (Blue and red lights - illegal use or possession) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Colo. Rev. Stat. § 42-4-238 (2026).

Text

(1)A person shall not be in actual physical control of a vehicle, except an authorized emergency vehicle as defined in section 42-1-102 (6), that the person knows contains a lamp or device that is designed to display, or that is capable of displaying if affixed or attached to the vehicle, a red or blue light visible directly in front of the center of the vehicle.

(2)It shall be an affirmative defense that the defendant was:

(a)A peace officer as described in section 16-2.5-101, C.R.S.; or

(b)In actual physical control of a vehicle expressly authorized by a chief of police or sheriff to contain a lamp or device that is designed to display, or that is capable of displaying if affixed or attached to the vehicle, a red or blue light visible from directly in front of the center o

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(1) A person shall
not be in actual physical control of a vehicle, except an authorized emergency
vehicle as defined in section 42-1-102 (6), that the person knows contains a lamp or
device that is designed to display, or that is capable of displaying if affixed or
attached to the vehicle, a red or blue light visible directly in front of the center of
the vehicle.

(2) It shall be an affirmative defense that the defendant was:

(a) A peace officer as described in section 16-2.5-101, C.R.S.; or

(b) In actual physical control of a vehicle expressly authorized by a chief of
police or sheriff to contain a lamp or device that is designed to display, or that is
capable of displaying if affixed or attached to the vehicle, a red or blue light visible
from directly in front of the center of the vehicle; or

(c) A member of a volunteer fire department or a volunteer ambulance
service who possesses a permit from the fire chief of the fire department or chief
executive officer of the ambulance service through which the volunteer serves to
operate a vehicle pursuant to section 42-4-222 (1)(b); or

(d) A vendor who exhibits, sells, or offers for sale a lamp or device designed
to display, or that is capable of displaying, if affixed or attached to the vehicle, a
red or blue light; or

(e) A collector of fire engines, fire suppression vehicles, or ambulances and
the vehicle to which the red or blue lamps were affixed is valued for the vehicle's
historical interest or as a collector's item.

(3) A violation of this section is a class 2 misdemeanor.

Legislative History

Source: L. 2004: Entire section added, p. 1080, � 2, effective July 1. L. 2005: (2)(e) added, p. 195, � 1, effective July 1. L. 2021: (3) amended, (SB 21-271), ch. 462, p. 3304, � 724, effective March 1, 2022.