Wash. Rev. Code » Title 46 · Chapter 46.37
Revised Code of Washington

Wash. Rev. Code § 46.37.190 (2026)

✓ current as of May 2026
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(1) Every authorized emergency vehicle and organ transport vehicle shall, in addition to any other equipment and distinctive marking required by this chapter, be equipped with at least one lamp capable of displaying a red light visible from at least 500 feet in normal sunlight and a siren capable of giving an audible signal.
(2) Every school bus and private carrier bus shall, in addition to any other equipment and distinctive markings required by this chapter, be equipped with a "stop" signal upon a background not less than 14 by 18 inches displaying the word "stop" in letters of distinctly contrasting colors not less than five and nine-tenths inches high, and shall further be equipped with signal lamps mounted as high and as widely spaced laterally as practicable, which shall be capable of displaying to the front two alternately flashing red lights located at the same level and to the rear two alternately flashing red lights located at the same level and these lights shall have sufficient intensity to be visible at 500 feet in normal sunlight.
(3) Vehicles operated by public agencies whose law enforcement duties include the authority to stop and detain motor vehicles on the public highways of the state may be equipped with a siren and lights of a color and type designated by the state patrol for that purpose. The state patrol may prohibit the use of these sirens and lights on vehicles other than the vehicles described in this subsection.
(4) The lights described in this section shall not be mounted nor used on any vehicle other than a school bus, a private carrier bus, an authorized emergency or law enforcement vehicle, or an organ transport vehicle.
(5) The use of the signal equipment described in this section and RCW 46.37.670, except the signal preemption devices used by public transit vehicles and department of transportation, city, or county maintenance vehicles that are not used in conjunction with emergency equipment, shall impose upon drivers of other vehicles the obligation to yield right-of-way and stop as prescribed in RCW 46.61.210, 46.61.370, and 46.61.350.
[ 2023 c 290 s 3; 2020 c 95 s 1; 2005 c 183 s 8; 1993 c 401 s 2; 1987 c 330 s 710; 1985 c 331 s 1; 1982 c 101 s 1; 1971 ex.s. c 92 s 1; 1970 ex.s. c 100 s 5; 1965 ex.s. c 155 s 53; 1963 c 154 s 14; 1961 c 12 s 46.37.190. Prior: 1957 c 66 s 1; 1955 c 269 s 19.]

Notes:

Rules of court: Monetary penalty schedule—IRLJ 6.2.
Construction—Application of rules—Severability—1987 c 330: See notes following RCW 28B.12.050.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 6 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1977–2026 · leading case: Yurkovich v. Rose, 847 P.2d 925 (Wash. Ct. App. 1993).
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Yurkovich v. Rose, 847 P.2d 925 (Wash. Ct. App. 1993). · cites it 2× “Subject to limited exceptions not applicable here, these signals must be activated by the school bus driver whenever the bus is stopped on the highway for the purpose of receiving or discharging school children.”
Boyle v. Emerson, 561 P.2d 1110 (Wash. Ct. App. 1977). · cites it 5× “" RCW 46.37.190. The state commission on equipment is statutorily authorized to promulgate rules and regulations relating to authorized emergency vehicles, and the owner of such a vehicle is required to have this commission "test and approve sirens and emergency vehicle lamps to…”
State v. Ritts, 973 P.2d 493 (Wash. Ct. App. 1999). · cites it 2× “RCW 46.37.190(4); RCW 46.37.380(2); WAC 204-88-030(1); WAC 204-88-060(1).”
State v. Weaver, 161 Wash. App. 58 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011). · cites it 2× “190, or of a police vehicle properly and lawfully making use of an audible signal only the driver of every other vehicle shall yield the right-of-way and shall immediately drive to a position parallel to, and as close as possible to, the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway…”
State v. Weaver, 248 P.3d 1116 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011). · cites it 2× “190, or of a police vehicle properly and lawfully making use of an audible signal only the driver of every other vehicle shall yield the right-of-way and shall immediately drive to a position parallel to, and as close as possible to, the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway…”
Robin Lerum, V. City Of Bellevue, Et Ano (Wash. Ct. App. 2026). · cites it 2× “035 apply only when the vehicle is making use of visual signals meeting the requirements of RCW 46.37.190. RCW 46.37.190 requires every authorized emergency vehicle to “be equipped with at least one lamp capable of displaying a red light visible from at least 500 feet in normal…”
— Wash. Rev. Code § 46.37.190(2) — 1 case
Yurkovich v. Rose, 847 P.2d 925 (Wash. Ct. App. 1993). “Subject to limited exceptions not applicable here, these signals must be activated by the school bus driver whenever the bus is stopped on the highway for the purpose of receiving or discharging school children.”
— Wash. Rev. Code § 46.37.190(4) — 1 case
State v. Ritts, 973 P.2d 493 (Wash. Ct. App. 1999). “RCW 46.37.190(4); RCW 46.37.380(2); WAC 204-88-030(1); WAC 204-88-060(1).”
— Wash. Rev. Code § 46.37.190(5) — 2 cases
State v. Ritts, 973 P.2d 493 (Wash. Ct. App. 1999). “RCW 46.37.190(4); RCW 46.37.380(2); WAC 204-88-030(1); WAC 204-88-060(1).”
Boyle v. Emerson, 561 P.2d 1110 (Wash. Ct. App. 1977). “" RCW 46.37.190. The state commission on equipment is statutorily authorized to promulgate rules and regulations relating to authorized emergency vehicles, and the owner of such a vehicle is required to have this commission "test and approve sirens and emergency vehicle lamps to…”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.