Designation of authorized emergency vehicles; equipment; limitations on use of warning devices.
1. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 484.789, authorized emergency vehicles are vehicles publicly owned and operated in the performance of the duty of:
(a) A police or fire department.
(b) A sheriff’s office.
(c) The Nevada Highway Patrol.
(d) The Division of Forestry of the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in responding to a fire.
(e) A public ambulance agency.
(f) A public lifeguard or lifesaving agency.
2. A vehicle publicly maintained in whole or in part by the State, or by a city or county, and privately owned and operated by a regularly salaried member of a police department, sheriff’s office or traffic law enforcement department, is an authorized emergency vehicle if:
(a) The vehicle has a permit, pursuant to NRS 484.789, from the Department;
(b) The person operates the vehicle in responding to emergency calls or fire alarms, or at the request of the Nevada Highway Patrol or in the pursuit of actual or suspected violators of the law; and
(c) The State, county or city does not furnish a publicly owned vehicle for the purposes stated in paragraph (b).
3. Every authorized emergency vehicle must be equipped with at least one flashing red warning lamp visible from the front and a siren for use as provided in this chapter, which lamp and siren must be in compliance with standards approved by the Department. In addition, an authorized emergency vehicle may display revolving, flashing or steady red or blue warning lights to the front, sides or rear of the vehicle.
4. An authorized emergency vehicle may be equipped with a system or device that causes the upper-beam head lamps of the vehicle to continue to flash alternately while the system or device is activated. The driver of a vehicle that is so equipped may use the system or device when responding to an emergency call or fire alarm, while escorting a funeral procession, or when in pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law. As used in this subsection, “upper-beam head lamp” means a head lamp or that part of a head lamp which projects a distribution of light or composite beam meeting the requirements of subsection 1 of NRS 484.587.
5. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4, a person shall not operate a motor vehicle with any system or device that causes the head lamps of the vehicle to continue to flash alternately or simultaneously while the system or device is activated. This subsection does not prohibit the operation of a motorcycle equipped with any system or device that modulates the intensity of light produced by the head lamp of the motorcycle, if the system or device is used only during daylight hours and conforms to the requirements of 49 C.F.R. § 571.108.
6. A person shall not operate a vehicle with any lamp or device displaying a red light visible from directly in front of the center of the vehicle except an authorized emergency vehicle, a school bus or an official vehicle of a regulatory agency.
7. A person shall not operate a vehicle with any lamp or device displaying a blue light, except a motorcycle pursuant to NRS 486.261 or an authorized emergency vehicle.
Last modified: February 25, 2006