§ 36-8-12-11 — Blue lights on private vehicles; authorization; violations

Indiana § 36-8-12-11

• Jurisdiction: Indiana
• Title 36: LOCAL GOVERNMENT
• Art. 8: PUBLIC SAFETY
• Ch. 12: Volunteer Fire Departments

Text

(a) Members of volunteer fire departments
may display blue lights on their privately owned vehicles while en
route to scenes of emergencies or to the fire station in the line of duty
subject to the following conditions:
(1) A light:
(A) must have a light source of at least thirty-five (35) watts; or
(B) may be a blue light emitting diode (LED).
(2) All lights must be placed on the:
(A) top of the vehicle;
(B) dashboard inside a vehicle, shielded to prevent distracting
the driver; or
(C) front of the vehicle upon the bumper or at bumper level.
(3) No more than four (4) blue light assemblies may be displayed
on one (1) vehicle, and each blue light assembly must be of the
flashing or revolving type.
(4) A blue light assembly may contain multiple bulbs.
(5) A blue light may not be a part of the regular head lamps
displayed on the vehicles. Alternately flashing head lamps may be
used as a supplemental warning device. Strobe lights or flashers
may be installed into the light fixtures on the vehicle other than
the alternating head lamps. The strobe lights or flashers may be
either white or blue, with the exception of red to the rear.
(b) In order for a volunteer firefighter to display a blue light on a
vehicle, the volunteer firefighter must secure a written permit from the
chief of the volunteer fire department to use the blue light and must
carry the permit at all times when the blue light is displayed.
(c) A person who is not a member of a volunteer fire department
may not display an illuminated blue light on a vehicle.
(d) A permittee of the owner of a vehicle lawfully equipped with a
blue light may operate the vehicle only if the blue light is not
illuminated.
(e) A person who violates subsection (a), (b), (c), or (d) commits a
Class C infraction. If the violator is a member of a volunteer fire
department, the chief of the department shall discipline the violator
under fire department rules and regulations.
(f) This section does not grant a vehicle displaying blue lights the
right-of-way under IC 9-21-8-35 or exemption from traffic rules under
IC 9-21-1-8. A driver of a vehicle displaying a blue light shall obey all
traffic rules.
(g) This section shall not be construed to include a vehicle
displaying a blue light and driven by a member of a volunteer fire
department as an authorized emergency vehicle (as defined in IC 9-13-2-6).
[Pre-Local Government Recodification Citation:
19-1-40-11.]
As added by Acts 1981, P.L.309, SEC.64. Amended by
P.L.88-1990, SEC.4; P.L.2-1991, SEC.108; P.L.99-1991, SEC.4;
P.L.1-1999, SEC.96; P.L.6-2001, SEC.1; P.L.153-2002, SEC.2;
P.L.61-2016, SEC.1.