KRS § 189.920 — KY Code / Title XVI / Chapter 189 / Section 189.920
189.920 Flashing lights and sirens
Status: in_force

189.920 Flashing lights and sirens.

(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 189.950. Sirens, whistles, and bells may not be used by vehicles

other than those specified by KRS 189.910 to 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.