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) A vehicle operated by a police officer or county coroner, and designated or authorized by local authorities, in writing, as a law enforcement vehicle, provided the designation or authorization must be carried in the vehicle;
(b) 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 municipal 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;
(3) Vehicles of the municipal Fire Department, and firefighting vehicles of the state or federal government;
(4) Vehicles which are designed and used 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;
(5) 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;
(6) Vehicles of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, vehicles of the Illinois Department of Public Health, and vehicles of the Department of Nuclear Safety;
(7) School buses operating alternately flashing head lamps as permitted under ILCS Ch. 625, Act 5, § 12-805;
(8) Vehicles of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources that are used for mine rescue and explosives emergency response;
(9) 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
(10) 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; 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 ILCS Ch. 625, Act 5, § 12-201; in addition, these vehicles may use white oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights in combination with amber oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights as provided in this division;
(2) Motor vehicles or equipment of the state, the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, 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) (a) The front and rear of motorized equipment owned and operated by the state or any political subdivision thereof, which is designed and used for the removal of snow and ice from highways;
(b) The front and rear of motorized equipment or vehicles that are not owned by the state or any political subdivision of the state, are designed and used for removal of snow and ice from highways and parking lots, and are equipped with a snow plow that is 12 feet in width; these lights may not be lighted except when the motorized equipment or vehicle is actually being used for those purposes on behalf of a unit of government;
(7) Fleet safety vehicles registered in another state; furthermore, these lights shall not be lighted except as provided in § 75.12;
(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) Vehicles used for collecting or delivering mail for the United States Postal Service, provided that the lights shall not be lighted except when those vehicles are actually being used for those purposes;
(11) Any vehicle displaying a slow-moving vehicle emblem as provided in § 75.09;
(12) 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;
(13) 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; or
(14) Vehicles used by a security company, alarm responder, or control agency, if the security company, alarm responder, or control agency is bound by a contract with a federal, state, or local government entity to use the lights.
(C) The use of blue oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights, whether lighted or unlighted, is prohibited except on:
(1) Vehicles owned or fully operated by a voluntary firefighter, paid firefighter, part-paid firefighter, call firefighter, a member of a 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, and rescue squad vehicles not owned by a fire department. However, these lights are not to be lighted except when responding to a bona fide emergency.
(2) Police department vehicles in cities having a population of 500,000 or more inhabitants.
(3) Law enforcement vehicles of state or local authorities, when used in combination with red oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights.
(4) 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.
(5) Vehicles which are designed and used exclusively as ambulances or rescue 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 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, vehicles of the Illinois Department of Public Health, and vehicles of the Department of Nuclear Safety, when used is combination with red oscillating, rotating, or flashing lights.
(7) Vehicles of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources that are used for mine rescue and explosives emergency response, when used in combination with red oscillating, rotating or flashing lights.
(D) The use of a combination of amber and white 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.
(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) 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.
(G) 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.
(H) Any person violating the provisions of division (A),(B), or (C) of this section who without lawful authority stops or detains, or attempts to stop or detain, another person shall be guilty of a felony and shall be prosecuted under appropriate state law.
(Ord. 1065-88, passed 11-9-88) Penalty, see § 70.99
For similar provisions under state law, see ILCS Ch. 625, Act 5, § 12-215