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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 5658
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 5803
Referred to Committee on PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY
Introduced by:
(PS)
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E USE OF RED AND BLUE LIGHTS ON
VEHICLES OPERATED BY POLICE OFFICERS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 14-96q of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2019): 2
(a) A permit is required for the use of colored or flashing lights on 3
all motor vehicles or equipment specified in this section except: (1) 4
Motor vehicles not registered in this state used for transporting or 5
escorting any vehicle or load, or combinations thereof, which is either 6
oversize or overweight, or both, when operating under a permit issued 7
by the Commissioner of Transportation pursuant to section 14-270; or 8
(2) motor vehicles or equipment that are (A) equipped with lights in 9
accordance with this section, (B) owned or leased by the federal 10
government, the state of Connecticut, or any other state, 11
commonwealth or local municipality, and (C) registered to such 12
governmental entity. When used in this section the term "flashing" 13
shall be considered to include the term "revolving". 14
(b) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, or such other person 15 Committee Bill No. 5658
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specifically identified in this section, is authorized to issue permits for 16
the use of colored or flashing lights on vehicles in accordance with this 17
section, at the commissioner's or such person's discretion. Any person, 18
firm or corporation other than the state or any metropolitan district, 19
town, city or borough shall pay an annual permit fee of twenty dollars 20
to the commissioner for each such vehicle. Such fee shall apply only to 21
permits issued by the commissioner. 22
(c) A blue light or lights, including flashing blue lights, but not 23
including a steady blue illuminated light visible from the front of a 24
vehicle, may be used on a motor vehicle operated by an active member 25
of a volunteer fire department or company or an active member of an 26
organized civil preparedness auxiliary fire company who has been 27
issued a permit by the chief executive officer of such department or 28
company to use such a light while on the way to or at the scene of a 29
fire or other emergency requiring such member's services. Such permit 30
shall be on a form provided by the commissioner and may be revoked 31
by such chief executive officer or successor. The chief executive officer 32
of each volunteer fire department or company or organized civil 33
preparedness auxiliary fire company shall keep on file, on forms 34
provided by the commissioner, the names and addresses of members 35
who have been authorized to use flashing blue lights as provided in 36
this subsection. Such listing shall also designate the registration 37
number of the motor vehicle on which authorized flashing blue lights 38
are to be used. 39
(d) A green light or lights, including flashing green lights, may be 40
used on a motor vehicle operated by an active member of a volunteer 41
ambulance association or company who has been issued a permit by 42
the chief executive officer of such association or company to use such a 43
light, while on the way to or at the scene of an emergency requiring 44
such member's services. Such permit shall be on a form provided by 45
the commissioner and may be revoked by such chief executive officer 46
or successor. The chief executive officer of each volunteer ambulance 47
association or company shall keep on file, on forms provided by the 48 Committee Bill No. 5658
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commissioner, the names and addresses of members who have been 49
authorized to use flashing green lights as provided in this subsection. 50
Such listing shall also designate the registration number of the vehicle 51
on which the authorized flashing green lights are to be used. 52
(e) The commissioner may issue a permit for a red light or lights, 53
including flashing red lights, but not including a steady red 54
illuminated light visible from the front of a vehicle, which may be used 55
on a motor vehicle or equipment (1) used by paid fire chiefs and their 56
deputies and assistants, up to a total of five individuals per 57
department, (2) used by volunteer fire chiefs and their deputies and 58
assistants, up to a total of five individuals per department, (3) used by 59
members of the fire police on a stationary vehicle as a warning signal 60
during traffic directing operations at the scene of a fire or emergency, 61
(4) used by chief executive officers of emergency medical service 62
organizations, as defined in section 19a-175, the first or second 63
deputies, or if there are no deputies, the first or second assistants, of 64
such an organization that is a municipal or volunteer or licensed 65
organization, (5) used by local fire marshals, or (6) used by directors of 66
emergency management. 67
(f) The commissioner may issue a permit for a yellow or amber light 68
or lights, including flashing yellow or amber lights, which may be 69
used on motor vehicles or equipment that are (1) specified in 70
subsection (e) of this section, (2) maintenance vehicles as defined in 71
section 14-1, or (3) vehicles transporting or escorting any vehicle or 72
load or combinations thereof, which is or are either oversize or 73
overweight, or both, and being operated or traveling under a permit 74
issued by the Commissioner of Transportation pursuant to section 14-75
270. A yellow or amber light or lights, including flashing yellow or 76
amber lights, may be used without obtaining a permit from the 77
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles on wreckers registered pursuant to 78
section 14-66, on vehicles of carriers in rural mail delivery service or on 79
vehicles operated by construction inspectors employed by the state of 80
Connecticut, authorized by the Commissioner of Transportation, used 81 Committee Bill No. 5658
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during the performance of inspections on behalf of the state. The 82
Commissioner of Transportation shall maintain a list of such 83
authorized construction inspectors, including the name and address of 84
each inspector and the registration number for each vehicle on which 85
the lights are to be used. 86
(g) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may issue a permit for a 87
white light or lights, including flashing white lights, which may be 88
used on a motor vehicle or equipment as specified in subdivision (1), 89
(2), (4), (5) or (6) of subsection (e) of this section. A vehicle being 90
operated by a member of a volunteer fire department or company or a 91
volunteer emergency medical technician may use flashing white head 92
lamps, provided such member or emergency medical technician is on 93
the way to the scene of a fire or medical emergency and has received 94
written authorization from the chief law enforcement officer of the 95
municipality to use such head lamps. Such head lamps shall only be 96
used within the municipality granting such authorization or from a 97
personal residence or place of employment, if located in an adjoining 98
municipality. Such authorization may be revoked for use of such head 99
lamps in violation of this subdivision. For the purposes of this 100
subsection, the term "flashing white lights" shall not include the 101
simultaneous flashing of head lamps. 102
(h) The commissioner may issue a permit for emergency vehicles, as 103
defined in subsection (a) of section 14-283, to use a blue, red, yellow, or 104
white light or lights, including flashing lights or any combination 105
thereof, except that the commissioner may only issue a permit for a 106
steady blue or red illuminated light visible from the front of a vehicle 107
for a state or local police vehicle operated by a police officer. 108
(i) The commissioner may issue a permit for ambulances, as defined 109
in section 19a-175, which may, in addition to the flashing lights 110
allowed in subsection (h) of this section, use flashing lights of other 111
colors specified by federal requirements for the manufacture of an 112
ambulance. If the commissioner issues a permit for any ambulance, 113
such permit shall be issued at the time of registration and upon each 114 Committee Bill No. 5658
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renewal of such registration. 115
(j) Use of colored and flashing lights except as authorized by this 116
section shall be an infraction. 117
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2019 14-96q
PS Joint Favorable