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SB 1252

SB 1252 - This act provides for motor vehicles and equipment operated by canine search and rescue teams to be treated as emergency vehicles. This act is identical to HB 3334 (2026) and HB 1228 (2023). TAYLOR MIDDLETON

2026 Regular Session

Missouri SB 1252 adds canine search and rescue teams to emergency-vehicle authorization, enabling siren and blue-light use during emergencies with permit required.

Second Read and Referred S Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee
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Bill Summary · SB 1252

Summary of SB 1252 (Missouri, 2026)

Purpose and intent

  • SB 1252 repeals Missouri Revised Statutes section 307.175 and replaces it with a new version. The bill explicitly adds canine search and rescue teams to the list of entities whose motor vehicles and equipment may operate as emergency vehicles under specified conditions.
  • In short, it treats canine search and rescue teams similarly to other organized fire departments, ambulance associations, and rescue squads for purposes of emergency vehicle operations.

Key provisions and changes

  • Section 307.175 (new language):
    • Vehicles and equipment operated by any member of an organized fire department, ambulance association, or rescue squad—including canine search and rescue teams—may be operated on streets and highways as emergency vehicles when responding to:
    • a fire call,
    • an ambulance call, or
    • an emergency call requiring search and rescue operations,
    • or at the scene of such calls.
    • These vehicles may use or sound a warning siren and use or display fixed, flashing, or rotating blue lights, but only in bona fide emergencies.
  • Additional authorization for light colors:
    • In certain circumstances, the following may use fixed, flashing, or rotating red or red-and-blue lights:
    • Emergency vehicles as defined by Section 304.022 when responding to an emergency.
    • Vehicles and equipment described in subsection 1 (i.e., canine search and rescue teams and similar organizations) when responding to an emergency or during rescue operations.
    • Vehicles/equipment owned or leased by a contractor/subcontractor performing work for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), with red or red-and-blue lights allowed only between dusk and dawn, in a designated work zone, when workers are present, and with no more than two vehicles/equipment displaying such lights in a work zone.
    • Additional allowances for amber lighting:
    • Vehicles and equipment owned/leased by MoDOT and operated by authorized employees may use amber or amber-and-white lights when in work zones with appropriate conditions.
    • Contractors/subcontractors for MoDOT may use amber and white lights under work-zone conditions.
    • Utility workers (including entities providing gas, electricity, water, steam, telecommunications, or sewer services) may use amber or amber-and-white lights when stationary in a work zone with designated signs and workers present.
  • Permits and enforcement:
    • Written permits are required to operate vehicles equipped with sirens or blue lights. Permits may be issued and revoked by the chief of an organized fire department, an organized ambulance association, a rescue squad, or the Missouri State Highways and Transportation Commission (MoDOT).
    • No person may use or display a siren or blue lights without a valid permit.
    • Even with a permit, operators must still comply with all other traffic laws and regulations.
    • Violation of the permit/lighting provisions constitutes a Class A misdemeanor.

Who is affected

  • Members and vehicles of organized fire departments, ambulance associations, rescue squads, and now canine search and rescue teams operating in Missouri.
  • MoDOT and entities performing work for MoDOT (for the light-color provisions in work zones).
  • Coroners, medical examiners, and forensic investigators retain related authority for certain lighting scenarios under the existing framework (as referenced in the bill’s language), though their primary changes relate to the broader emergency vehicle authorization for rescue organizations.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • The bill repeals the current Section 307.175 and enacts a new section with the same numbering, effectively updating the statute.
  • It specifies that permits for sirens and blue lights are issued and revoked by designated authorities (fire department chiefs, ambulance association chiefs, rescue squad chiefs, or MoDOT).
  • It makes violation a Class A misdemeanor, implying potential criminal penalties for improper use without a permit or outside authorized circumstances.

Potential impact

  • Enhanced operational authority for canine search and rescue teams during emergencies, improving rapid response and visibility at incidents.
  • Clarified permitting framework for emergency lighting and siren use across multiple responding organizations.
  • Increased compliance requirements (permits) and potential penalties for improper use, aiming to ensure lights and sirens are used appropriately and safely.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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