Except as otherwise provided in this title:
(A) The use of red or white oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights, whether lighted or unlighted, is prohibited except on:
(1) Law enforcement vehicles of state, federal, or local authorities;
(2) A vehicle operated by a police officer or county coroner, and designated or authorized by local authorities, in writing, as a law enforcement vehicle; however, the designation or authorization must be carried in the vehicle;
(3) A vehicle operated by a fire chief who has completed an emergency vehicle operation training course approved by the Office of the State Fire Marshal and designated or authorized by local authorities, in writing as a fire department, fire protection district, or township fire department vehicle; however the designation or authorization must be carried in the vehicle, and the lights may be visible or activated only when responding to a bona fide emergency.
(4) Vehicles of local fire departments and state or federal firefighting vehicles;
(5) Vehicles which are designed and used exclusively as ambulances or rescue vehicles; furthermore, these lights shall not be lighted except when responding to an emergency call for and while actually conveying the sick or injured;
(6) Vehicles which are occasionally used as rescue vehicles that have been authorized for use as rescue vehicles by a volunteer EMS provider, provided that the operator of the vehicle has successfully completed an emergency vehicle operation training course recognized by the Department of Public Health; furthermore, the lights shall not be lighted except when responding to an emergency call for the sick or injured;
(7) Tow trucks licensed in a state that requires such lights; furthermore, such lights shall not be lighted on any such tow truck while the tow truck is operating in the state;
(8) Vehicles of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, vehicles of the Illinois Department of Public Health, and vehicles of the Department of Nuclear Safety;
(9) Vehicles operated by a local or county emergency management services agency as defined in the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act;
(10) Vehicles that are equipped and used exclusively as organ transplant vehicles when used in combination with blue oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights; furthermore, these lights shall be lighted only when the transportation is declared an emergency by a member of the transplant team or a representative of the organ procurement organization;
(11) Vehicles of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources that are used for mine rescue emergency response;
(12) Vehicles of the Illinois Department of Transportation identified as Emergency Traffic Patrol; the lights shall not be lighted except when responding to an emergency call or when parked or stationary while engaged in motor vehicle assistance or at the scene of the emergency; and
(13) Vehicles of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority identified as Highway Emergency Lane Patrol; the lights shall not be lighted except when responding to an emergency call or when parked or stationary while engaged in motor vehicle assistance or at the scene of the emergency.
(B) The use of amber oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights whether lighted or unlighted, is prohibited except on:
(1) Second division vehicles designed and used for towing or hoisting vehicles; furthermore, these lights shall not be lighted except as required in this division (B)(1); such lights shall be lighted when the vehicles are actually being used at the scene of an accident or disablement; if the towing vehicle is equipped with a flat bed that supports all wheels of the vehicle being transported, the lights shall not be lighted while the vehicle is engaged in towing on a highway; if the towing vehicle is not equipped with a flat bed that supports all wheels of a vehicle being transported, the lights shall be lighted while the towing vehicle is engaged in towing on a highway during all times when the use of headlights is required under § 74.002
(2) Motor vehicles or equipment of the State of Illinois, local authorities, and contractors; furthermore, these lights shall not be lighted except while the vehicles are engaged in maintenance or construction operations within the limits of construction projects;
(3) Vehicles or equipment used by engineering or survey crews; furthermore, these lights shall not be lighted except while the vehicles are actually engaged in work on a highway;
(4) Vehicles of public utilities, municipalities, or other construction maintenance, or automotive service vehicles, except that these lights shall be lighted only as a means of indicating the presence of a vehicular traffic hazard requiring unusual care in approaching, overtaking, or passing while those vehicles are engaged in maintenance, service, or construction on a highway;
(5) Oversized vehicle or load; however, these lights shall only be lighted when moving under permit issued by the Department under ILCS Ch. 625, Act 5, § 15-301;
(6) The front and rear of motorized equipment owned and operated by the State of Illinois or any political subdivision thereof, which is designed and used for the removal of snow and ice from highways;
(7) Fleet safety vehicles registered in another state; furthermore, these lights shall not be lighted except as provided in § 74.009;
(8) Other vehicles as may be authorized by local authorities.
(9) Law enforcement vehicles of state or local authorities, when used in combination with red oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights.
(10) Propane delivery trucks.
(11) Vehicles used for collecting or delivering mail for the United States Postal Service, provided that such lights shall not be lighted except when the vehicles are actually being used for such purposes.
(12) Any vehicle displaying a slow-moving vehicle emblem as provided in § 74.006.
(13) All trucks equipped with self-compactors or roll-off hoists and roll-on containers for garbage, recycling, or refuse hauling. Such lights shall not be lighted except when such vehicles are actually being used for such purposes.
(14) Vehicles used by a security company, alarm responder, or control agency.
(15) Security vehicles of the department of human services; however, the lights shall not be lighted except when being used for security related purposes under the direction of the superintendent of the facility where the vehicle is located.
(16) Vehicles of union represent-atives, except that the lights shall be lighted only while the vehicle is within the limits of a construction project.
(C) The use of blue oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights, whether lighted or unlighted, is prohibited except on: rescue squad vehicles not owned by a fire department and vehicles owned or fully operated by a voluntary firefighter, paid firefighter, part-paid firefighter, call firefighter, a member of the board of trustees of a fire protection district, paid or unpaid member of a rescue squad, paid or unpaid member of a voluntary ambulance unit, or paid or unpaid members of a local or county emergency management services agency as defined in the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, designated or authorized by local authorities, in writing and carrying that designation or authorization in the vehicle. However, these lights are not to be lighted except when responding to a bona fide emergency.
(1) Rescue squad vehicles not owned by a fire department and vehicles owned or fully operated by a voluntary firefighter, paid firefighter, part-paid firefighter, call firefighter, a member of the board of trustees of a fire protection district, paid or unpaid member of a rescue squad, paid or unpaid member of a voluntary ambulance unit, or paid or unpaid members of a local or county emergency management services agency as defined in the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, designated or authorized by local authorities, in writing and carrying that designation or authorization in the vehicle.
(a) However, these lights are not to be lighted except when responding to a bona fide emergency.
(b) Any person using these lights in accordance with this subdivision must carry on his or her person an identification card or letter identifying him or her as a member of a bona fide fire department, fire protection district, rescue squad, ambulance unit, or emergency management services agency. The card or letter must include:
1. The name of the fire department, fire protection district, rescue squad, ambulance unit, or emergency management services agency;
2. The member's position within the fire department, fire protection district, rescue squad, ambulance unit, or emergency management services agency;
3. The member's term of service;
4. The name of the person within the fire department, fire protection district, rescue squad, ambulance unit, or emergency management services agency to contact to verify the information provided.
(2) Law enforcement vehicles of state or local authorities when used in combination with red oscillating, rotating or flashing lights.
(3) Vehicles of local fire departments and state or federal firefighting vehicles when used in combination with red oscillating, rotating or flashing lights.
(4) Vehicles which are designed and used exclusively as ambulances or rescue vehicles when used in combination with red
oscillating, rotating or flashing lights; furthermore, such lights shall not be lighted except when responding to an emergency call.
(5) Vehicles that are equipped and used exclusively as organ transport vehicles when used in combination with red oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights; furthermore, these lights shall only be lighted when the transportation is declared an emergency by a member of the transplant team or a representative of the organ procurement organization.
(6) Vehicles operated by a local or county emergency management services agency as defined in the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, when used in combination with read oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights.
(7) In addition to the blue oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights permitted under this division (C), and notwithstanding division (A), a vehicle operated by a voluntary firefighter, a voluntary member of a rescue squad, or a member of a voluntary ambulance unit may be equipped with flashing white headlights and blue grill lights, which may be used only in responding to an emergency call.
(8) In addition to the blue oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights permitted under subsection (C), and notwithstanding subsection (A), a vehicle operated by a paid or unpaid member of a local or county emergency management services agency as defined in the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, may be equipped with white oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights to be used in combination with blue oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights, if authorization by local authorities is in writing and carried in the vehicle.
(D) The use of a combination of amber and white oscillating, rotating or flashing lights, whether lighted or unlighted, is prohibited, except motor vehicles or equipment of the State of Illinois, local authorities, contractors, and union representatives may be so equipped; furthermore, such lights shall not be lighted on vehicles of the state, local authorities, and contractors except while such vehicles are engaged in highway maintenance or construction operations within the limits of highway construction projects and shall not be lighted on the vehicles of union representatives except when those vehicles are within the limits of a construction project.
(E) All oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights referred to in this section shall be of sufficient intensity, when illuminated, to be visible at 500 feet in normal sunlight.
(F) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a manufacturer of oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights or his representative or authorized vendor from temporarily mounting these lights on a vehicle for demonstration purposes only. If the lights are not covered while the vehicle is operated upon a highway, the vehicle shall display signage indicating that the vehicle is out of service or not an emergency vehicle. The signage shall be displayed on all sides of the vehicle in letters at least two inches tall and one-half inch wide. A vehicle authorized to have oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights mounted for demonstration purposes may not activate the lights while the vehicle is operated upon a highway.
(G) Any person violating the provisions of divisions (A), (B), (C), or (D) of this section who, without lawful authority, stops or detains or attempts to stop or detain another person, shall be guilty of a class 4 felony.
(H) Except as provided in division (G) above, any person violating the provisions of divisions (A) or (C) of this section shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
(‘64 Code, § 21-138) (Ord. , passed ; Am. Ord. 7140, passed 8-20-85; Am. Ord. 7208, passed 9-23-86) Penalty, see § 70.999
Statutory reference:
Similar provisions, see ILCS Ch. 625, Act 5, § 12-215