GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 1999
SESSION LAW 1999-249
AN ACT TO CLARIFY WHEN THE POSSESSION OF BLUE LIGHTS IS ILLEGAL.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1. G.S. 20-130.1 reads as rewritten:
"§ 20-130.1. Use of red or blue lights on vehicles prohibited; exceptions.
…
(c) It is unlawful for
any person to install or activate or operate a blue light in or on any
vehicle in this State. It is unlawful for any person to possess a blue light in
or on any vehicle in this State. possess a blue light or to install,
activate, or operate a blue light in or on any vehicle in this State, except
for a publicly owned vehicle used for law enforcement purposes or any other
vehicle when used by law enforcement officers in the performance of their
official duties. As used in this subsection, unless the context
requires otherwise, "blue light" means an operable blue light not
sealed in the manufacturer's original package which:
(1) Is not (i) being installed on, held in inventory for the purpose of being installed on, or held in inventory for the purpose of sale for installation on a vehicle on which it may be lawfully operated or (ii) installed on a vehicle which is used solely for the purpose of demonstrating the blue light for sale to law enforcement personnel;
(1a) Is designed for use by an emergency vehicle, or is similar in appearance to a blue light designed for use by an emergency vehicle; and
(2) Can be operated by use of the vehicle's battery, the vehicle's electrical system, or a dry cell battery.
(d) The
provisions of subsection (c) of this section do not apply to a publicly owned
vehicle used primarily for law-enforcement purposes or any other vehicle used
primarily by law-enforcement officers in the performance of their official
duties."
Section 2. This act becomes effective December 1, 1999, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 23rd day of June, 1999.
s/ Dennis A. Wicker
President of the Senate
s/ James B. Black
Speaker of the House of Representatives
s/ James B. Hunt, Jr.
Governor
Approved 9:15 a.m. this 2nd day of July, 1999