Virginia Emergency Vehicle Light Laws: Four Light Units and Purple Authorization

Key Takeaways

• Virginia Code § 46.2-1024 permits any member of a fire department, volunteer fire company, or volunteer emergency medical services agency, and any police chaplain, to equip one vehicle owned by that person with no more than four flashing or steady-burning red or red and white combination warning light units of types approved by the Superintendent.
• The Virginia limit is now four warning light units, not two. Guidance stating a two-unit maximum reflects a superseded version of § 46.2-1024 before it was amended to increase the number of units.
• Warning light units permitted by Virginia Code § 46.2-1024 shall be lit only when answering emergency calls.
• Virginia authorizes purple warning lights. Section 46.2-1025 is titled "Flashing amber, purple, or green warning lights," making Virginia one of a small number of states with an express purple authorization.
• Virginia conditions warning equipment on type approval. Sections 46.2-1023 through 46.2-1029 repeatedly require lights to be of types approved by the Superintendent of State Police, so color compliance alone does not establish legality.
• Virginia Code § 46.2-1026 requires high-intensity flashing, blinking or alternating amber warning lights visible for at least 500 feet, of types approved by the Superintendent, on the vehicles that section covers.

Virginia organizes its warning light law as a series of short, narrowly drawn sections in Title 46.2, Chapter 10, Article 3, each covering a color and a class. That structure makes the law readable, and it makes it easy to check.

It also means the details change often. Section 46.2-1024, the provision volunteers care about most, has been amended to increase the number of warning light units a member may fit to a personal vehicle. The current text says four. A great deal of published guidance still says two.

Four Units, Not Two

The current text of § 46.2-1024 provides that any member of a fire department, volunteer fire company, or volunteer emergency medical services agency and any police chaplain may equip one vehicle owned by him with no more than four flashing or steady-burning red or red and white combination warning light units of types approved by the Superintendent. Warning light units permitted by the section shall be lit only when answering emergency calls.

The prior text set the limit at two. Companion bills HB 15 and SB 150, described as increasing the number of units a person may equip on one vehicle, carried the change through.

Three constraints survive the increase and are worth keeping in view. It is one vehicle, owned by the member. The units must be of types approved by the Superintendent. And they may be lit only when answering emergency calls.

Type Approval By The Superintendent

Virginia's approval requirement runs through the whole article. Sections 46.2-1023 through 46.2-1029 repeatedly condition authorization on the equipment being of a type approved by the Superintendent of State Police.

This puts Virginia in the same category as Pennsylvania and California: a state where the statute names the color and the class, and a separate approval layer determines which specific products may be used. Buying on color alone is not sufficient, and departments should keep documentation of approved types with their fleet records.

Color & Class Across Article 3

Purple, Green & Amber

Section 46.2-1025 is one of the few provisions in American traffic law to name purple as an authorized warning color, alongside amber and green. Purple is most commonly associated with funeral processions and escort operations, and Virginia's inclusion of it in the same section as amber and green makes it a genuine equipment category rather than a novelty.

Green appears in the same section, which places Virginia among the states where green has statutory footing rather than being tolerated by omission.

Both are practical considerations for funeral homes, escort operators and command staff working in Virginia, and both are covered by the same type approval requirement as everything else in the article.

Interior Mounting & Inside-The-Vehicle Units

Article 3 contains a provision addressing red or red and white lights authorized under § 46.2-1024 mounted inside vehicles owned or used by members of volunteer fire companies or volunteer emergency medical services agencies, professional firefighters, or police.

Interior mounting is a common approach for members who use the vehicle as a daily driver, and Virginia's four-unit allowance makes a distributed interior setup practical in a way the old two-unit limit did not.

Buying for Virginia

With four units now permitted, a Virginia volunteer POV can run a genuinely effective distributed setup. A common configuration pairs dash and window mount lights with hide-away LEDs or grille and surface mount lightheads, staying within the unit count while covering multiple angles.

For purple and green applications under § 46.2-1025, see our green and purple LED range.

Amber users should note the 500-foot high-intensity requirement in § 46.2-1026 and select from amber lights and 360-degree beacons accordingly. Because Virginia requires Superintendent-approved types throughout, we recommend sticking to established manufacturers, and we stock Whelen, Federal Signal, and SoundOff Signal.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many warning lights can a volunteer firefighter have in Virginia?

Up to four. Virginia Code § 46.2-1024 permits a member of a fire department, volunteer fire company or volunteer emergency medical services agency, and any police chaplain, to equip one vehicle owned by that person with no more than four flashing or steady-burning red or red and white combination warning light units of types approved by the Superintendent. Guidance stating two units reflects an earlier version of the statute.

When can Virginia volunteer warning lights be used?

Virginia Code § 46.2-1024 provides that warning light units permitted by that section shall be lit only when answering emergency calls.

Are purple lights legal in Virginia?

Virginia Code § 46.2-1025 is titled "Flashing amber, purple, or green warning lights," making Virginia one of a small number of states with an express purple warning light authorization. As with other lights in the article, the equipment must be of a type approved by the Superintendent.

Does Virginia require approved equipment types?

Yes. Sections 46.2-1023 through 46.2-1029 repeatedly require warning lights to be of types approved by the Superintendent of State Police, so selecting the correct color is not by itself sufficient for compliance.

Last Updated & Disclaimer 

Last reviewed: September 2026. This page summarizes Va. Code §§ 46.2-1023 to 46.2-1029.2 and related provisions for general informational purposes. It is not legal advice. Statutes are amended and agency requirements change. Confirm current requirements with the official sources linked above, your department or agency, and the relevant state motor vehicle authority before purchasing or installing warning equipment.