(a) No person shall own or operate a motor vehicle which is equipped with a light bar, or facsimile thereof, to resemble a motor vehicle used by a peace officer or traffic officer while on duty within that jurisdiction for the primary purpose of enforcing Division 10 (commencing with Section 20000) or Division 11 (commencing with Section 21000) pursuant to Section 40800.

(b) For purposes of this section the following definitions apply:

Terms Used In California Vehicle Code 27606

  • Highway: is a way or place of whatever nature, publicly maintained and open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel. See California Vehicle Code 360
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Local authorities: means the legislative body of every county or municipality having authority to adopt local police regulations. See California Vehicle Code 385
  • motor vehicle: includes a recreational vehicle as that term is defined in subdivision (a) of §. See California Vehicle Code 415
  • Person: includes a natural person, firm, copartnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation. See California Vehicle Code 470
  • Road: means any existing vehicle route established before January 1, 1979, with significant evidence of prior regular travel by vehicles subject to registration pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 4000) of Chapter 1 of Division 3. See California Vehicle Code 527
  • Street: is a way or place of whatever nature, publicly maintained and open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel. See California Vehicle Code 590
  • traffic: includes pedestrians, ridden animals, vehicles, street cars, and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using any highway for purposes of travel. See California Vehicle Code 620
  • vehicle: is a device by which any person or property may be propelled, moved, or drawn upon a highway, excepting a device moved exclusively by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks. See California Vehicle Code 670

(1) A “light bar” means any light or device affixed to or mounted upon the roof of a vehicle and extending the width of the roof, or a substantial portion thereof, which emits amber, red, or blue, or any combination of those lights.

(2) A “facsimile of a light bar” is any device designed or contrived to resemble a light bar regardless of the degree of light emission or lack thereof.

(c) This section shall not apply to a vehicle, if all of the following conditions are satisfied:

(1) The vehicle is possessed by a federal, state, or local historical society or museum that is open to the public.

(2) The vehicle is secured from unauthorized operation.

(3) The vehicle is not operated on any public road or highway, unless one of the following applies:

(A) The vehicle is being operated within a temporary street closure for the purposes of celebrations, parades, local special events, and other purposes when the operation is approved by local authorities having jurisdiction over the street closure.

(B) The vehicle is of a model year of at least twenty-five years prior to the year of operation.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 260, Sec. 3. (AB 309) Effective January 1, 2020.)

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