1. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 484A.490, 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 Department of Public Safety, for vehicles that are:

(1) Operated in the performance of the duty of the Capitol Police Division, the Investigation Division, the Nevada Highway Patrol Division, the State Fire Marshal Division, the Training Division and the Office of the Director of the Department of Public Safety; or

(2) Designated an authorized emergency vehicle by the Director of the Department of Public Safety.

(d) The Division of Forestry of the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in responding to a fire.

(e) The Section for the Control of Emissions From Vehicles and the Enforcement of Matters Related to the Use of Special Fuel in the Department of Motor Vehicles.

(f) A public ambulance agency.

(g) 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 484A.490, from the Department of Public Safety;

(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 chapters 484A to 484E, inclusive, of NRS, which lamp and siren must be in compliance with standards approved by the Department of Public Safety. 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 headlamps 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 headlamp” means a headlamp or that part of a headlamp which projects a distribution of light or composite beam meeting the requirements of subsection 1 of NRS 484D.210.

5. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4, a person shall not operate a motor vehicle with any system or device that causes the headlamps 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 headlamp 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.

(Added to NRS by 1969, 1505; A 1975, 320; 1979, 1814; 1985, 26, 341, 1956; 1989, 1132; 2003, 402; 2011, 343; 2019, 1228) — (Substituted in revision for NRS 484.787)