Michigan Emergency Vehicle Light State Statute

There are several reasons why emergency vehicle light laws have been in place in Michigan. The first reason that there are emergency vehicle light rules is so people can identify which vehicle has its lights on from a distance away. For instance, if someone drives toward a group of vehicles and they see a series of blue lights, then they’ll probably know it’s a group of police officers. If a person drives toward a group of vehicles and sees nothing but red lights, they may know that they are not police vehicles, and that they may be ambulances. It allows people to get a better idea of what they are moving toward and gives them the opportunity to adapt to that. Emergency light vehicle laws have also been put in place to ensure people are aware of an emergency. For example, several vehicles have laws which require that their lights be visible from at least 500 feet away. This ensures people can see that there is an emergency and give them time to take the appropriate action. I’m going to go through many emergency vehicle light laws throughout this post, and tell you the lighting specifications of each vehicle.

State Statutes Emergency Vehicle Lights

Michigan Police Vehicle Light Laws

All police vehicles need to have oscillating, flashing or rotating lights according to Michigan statute section 257.698. Such police lights require 360 degrees of vision and must be seen from a distance of at least 500 metres. As part of their lighting system, police vehicles can use red or blue strobe lights, and can use these light colors for their signal devices.

Michigan Fire Truck Light Laws

Section 257.698 of the Michigan Statute states that all fire trucks must have oscillating, flashing or rotating lights. These lights need 360 degrees of visibility and must be seen from a distance of at least 500 metres. Fire trucks must use red lights as part of their illumination or signaling devices.

Michigan Volunteer Fire Fighter Light Truck Laws

Michigan Statute section 257.698 states that all volunteer fire fighter trucks must have oscillating, flashing or rotating lights. These lights need 360 degrees of visibility and must be seen from a distance of at least 500 metres. Volunteer fire department trucks can use red lights for their lighting or signaling devices.

Michigan Ambulance Light Laws

In section 257.698 of the Michigan Statute, it states that all ambulances must have oscillating, flashing, or rotating lights. Such emergency lights require 360 degrees of illumination and must be seen from a distance of at least 500 metres. For its lighting systems and display devices, ambulances must use red lights.

Michigan Tow Truck Light Laws

Section 257.698 of the Michigan Statute states that tow trucks may use amber lights for their display devices or lighting systems.

Michigan Construction Vehicle Light Laws

In section 257.698 of the Michigan Statute, it states that all construction vehicles shall be equipped with amber-colored lights for their lighting systems or display devices.

Michigan Utility Vehicle Light Laws

As set out in section 257.698 of the Michigan Statute, all utility vehicles shall use amber lights for their display devices or lighting systems.

Michigan Pilot Vehicle Light Laws

Pilot vehicles must have one flashing or oscillating strobe light mounted at the top of their vehicle according to Michigan statute section 257.698. This light has to be both amber and visible from at least 500 feet away.

Section 257.698 of the Michigan Security Vehicle Light Laws Michigan statute says safety vehicles must use amber lights for their lighting systems or display devices.

Now you know about Michigan’s emergency light vehicle laws!

We discussed the laws pertaining to many emergency vehicles in this article. I discussed the requirements for color as well as for visibility for each vehicle. We also talked about how flashing, rotating or oscillating lights some vehicles need to have. You may also have noticed that they covered the laws for each vehicle under section 257.698 of the Michigan statute. Although we covered a large part of section 257.698 of the Michigan statute, there is still more information in section 257.698 of the Michigan statute which I did not cover in this article. If you’d like to read more about section 257.698 of the Michigan statute, then click here.

For more information on what lights are available to you, please call your State Highway Patrol office at: 517-332-2521

* Please note that these numbers are what we can currently find, and the numbers may have changed since this listing.