625 ILCS 5/ Illinois Vehicle Code.

(625 ILCS 5/12-811) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 12-811)

Sec. 12-811. Amber 3 bar clearance light. Each type I school bus shall be equipped with an amber 3 bar clearance light on the front of the bus. The light shall be illuminated at all times when the bus is being operated between sunset and sunrise and in conditions of reduced visibility.

(Source: P.A. 79-63.)

(625 ILCS 5/12-812) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 12-812)

Sec. 12-812. Rules and regulations.

(a) The Department may promulgate rules and regulations to more completely specify the equipment requirements of this Article and may establish by rule a pilot program to permit the testing of safety equipment not otherwise prohibited by State or federal law.

(b) All rules, regulations and standards promulgated from time to time by the State Board of Education and the Department for the safety and construction of school buses shall be applicable to every motor vehicle in this State defined as a school bus under Section 1-182.

(Source: P.A. 102-441, eff. 1-1-22.)

(625 ILCS 5/12-812.1) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 12-812.1)

Sec. 12-812.1. (a) The Department shall adopt and promulgate rules and regulations governing the use of liquefied petroleum gases, compressed natural gases and liquefied natural gases as a propellant fuel in school buses. Such rules and regulations shall include the installation, maintenance and operation of such equipment installed on school buses and shall be based on the generally accepted standards of safety as recommended by the National Fire Protection Association.

(b) All school buses using liquefied petroleum gases, compressed natural gases or liquefied natural gases as a propellant fuel must conform to and obey any rule or regulation lawfully adopted by the Department.

(Source: P.A. 83-1027.)

(625 ILCS 5/12-813.1)

Sec. 12-813.1. School bus driver communication devices.

(a) In this Section:

"School bus driver" means a person operating a school bus who has a valid school bus driver permit as required under Sections 6-104 and 6-106.1 of this Code.

"Cellular radio telecommunication device" means a device capable of sending or receiving telephone communications without an access line for service and which requires the operator to dial numbers manually. It does not, however, include citizens band radios or citizens band radio hybrids.

"Possession of a school bus" means the period of time from which a bus driver takes possession until the school bus driver returns possession of the school bus, whether or not the school bus driver is operating the school bus.

"Using a cellular radio telecommunication device" means talking or listening to or dialing a cellular radio telecommunication device.

To "operate" means to have the vehicle in motion while it contains one or more passengers.

(b) A school bus driver may not operate a school bus while using a cellular radio telecommunication device.

(c) Subsection (b) of this Section does not apply:

(1) To the use of a cellular radio telecommunication device for the purpose of communicating with any of the following regarding an emergency situation:

(A) an emergency response operator;

(B) a hospital;

(C) a physician's office or health clinic;

(D) an ambulance service;

(E) a fire department, fire district, or fire company; or

(F) a police department.

(2) To the use of a cellular radio telecommunication device to call for assistance in the event that there is a mechanical breakdown or other mechanical problem that impairs the safe operation of the bus or to communicate with school authorities or their designees about any other issue relating to the operation of the school bus or the welfare and safety of any passenger thereon. In no case may a cellular radio telecommunication device be used for anything not provided for in this Section, including but not limited to, personal use.

(3) (Blank).

(4) When the school bus is parked.

(d) A school bus driver who violates subsection (b) of this Section is guilty of a petty offense punishable by a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $250.

(e) A school bus must contain either an operating cellular radio telecommunication device or two-way radio while the school bus driver is in possession of a school bus. The cellular radio telecommunication device or two-way radio in this subsection must be turned on and adjusted in a manner that would alert the school bus driver of an incoming communication request.

(Source: P.A. 96-818, eff. 11-17-09; 96-1066, eff. 7-16-10.)

(625 ILCS 5/12-815) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 12-815)

Sec. 12-815. Strobe lamp on school bus.

(a) A school bus manufactured prior to January 1, 2000 may be equipped with one strobe lamp that will emit 60 to 120 flashes per minute of white or bluish-white light visible to a motorist approaching the bus from any direction. A school bus manufactured on or after January 1, 2000 shall be equipped with one strobe lamp that will emit 60 to 120 flashes per minute of white or bluish-white light visible to a motorist approaching the bus from any direction. The lamp shall be of sufficient brightness to be visible in normal sunlight when viewed directly from a distance of at least one mile.

(b) The strobe lamp shall be mounted on the rooftop of the bus with the light generating element in the lamp located equidistant from each side and either at or behind the center of the rooftop. The maximum height of the element above the rooftop shall not exceed 1/30 of its distance from the rear of the rooftop. If the structure of the strobe lamp obscures the light generating element, the element shall be deemed to be in the center of the lamp with a maximum height 1/4 inch less than the maximum height of the strobe lamp unless otherwise indicated in rules and regulations promulgated by the Department. The Department may promulgate rules and regulations to govern measurements, glare, effectiveness and protection of strobe lamps on school buses, including higher strobe lamps than authorized in this paragraph.

(c) The strobe lamp may be lighted only when the school bus is actually being used as a school bus and:

1. is stopping or stopped for loading or discharging pupils on a highway outside an urban area; or

2. is bearing one or more pupils.

(Source: P.A. 95-319, eff. 8-21-07.)

(625 ILCS 5/12-815.1)

Sec. 12-815.1. Emergency exits identification. On and after August 1, 2000, all emergency exits of a school bus shall be outlined around the perimeter of the exit with a minimum one inch wide yellow reflective tape or decal. This yellow reflective tape or decal shall be placed on the exterior surface of the school bus.

(Source: P.A. 91-168, eff. 1-1-00; 91-785, eff. 6-9-00.)

(625 ILCS 5/12-815.2)

Sec. 12-815.2. Noise suppression switch. Any school bus manufactured on or after January 1, 2006 must be equipped with a noise suppression switch capable of turning off noise producing accessories, including: heater blowers; defroster fans; auxiliary fans; and radios. For the purposes of this Section, radios shall not include 2-way radios which transmit Global Positioning System (GPS) location and record metadata stops.

(Source: P.A. 100-667, eff. 1-1-19.)

(625 ILCS 5/12-816)

Sec. 12-816. Pre and post-trip inspection policy for school buses.

(a) In order to provide for the welfare and safety of children who are transported on school buses throughout the State of Illinois, each school district shall have in place, by January 1, 2008, a policy to ensure that the school bus driver is the last person leaving the bus and that no passenger is left behind or remains on the vehicle at the end of a route, a work shift, or the work day. This policy and procedure shall, at a minimum, require the school bus driver (i) to test the cellular radio telecommunication device or two-way radio and ensure that it is functioning properly before the bus is operated and (ii) before leaving the bus at the end of each route, work shift, or work day, to walk to the rear of the bus and check the bus for children or other passengers in the bus.

(b) If a school district has a contract with a private sector school bus company for the transportation of the district's students, the school district shall require in the contract with the private sector company that the company have a post-trip inspection policy in place. This policy and procedure shall, at a minimum, require the school bus driver (i) to test the cellular radio telecommunication device or two-way radio and ensure that it is functioning properly before the bus is operated and (ii) before leaving the bus at the end of each route, work shift, or work day, to walk to the rear of the bus and check the bus for children or other passengers in the bus.

(c) Before this inspection, the school bus driver shall activate the interior lights of the bus to assist the driver in seeing in and under the seats during a visual sweep of the bus.

(d) This policy may include, at the discretion of the school district, the installation of a mechanical or electronic post-trip inspection reminder system which requires the school bus driver to walk to the rear of the bus to deactivate the system before the driver leaves the bus. The system shall require that when the driver turns off the vehicle's ignition system, the vehicle's interior lights must illuminate to assist the driver in seeing in and under the seats during a visual sweep of the bus.

(Source: P.A. 95-260, eff. 8-17-07; 96-818, eff. 11-17-09; 96-1066, eff. 7-16-10.)

(625 ILCS 5/12-820) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 12-820)

Sec. 12-820. Nursery school buses. The Department of Transportation, after conducting a Public Hearing, may, by regulation, modify and supplement the requirements pertaining to seat dimensions, spacing and height from the floor and to other safety features in the interior of a school bus used to transport preschool children, when such modification or supplementing will enhance the safety of the bus when transporting such children.

(Source: P.A. 85-828.)

(625 ILCS 5/12-821)

Sec. 12-821. Display of telephone number; complaint calls.

(a) Each school bus and multifunction school-activity bus shall display at the rear of the bus a sign, with letters and numerals readily visible and readable, indicating the area code and telephone number of the owner of the bus, regardless of whether the owner is a school district or another person or entity. The sign shall be in the following form:

"TO COMMENT ON MY DRIVING, CALL (area code and telephone number of bus owner)".

A school bus owner who placed a sign conforming to the requirements of Public Act 95-176 on a school bus before January 1, 2010 (the effective date of Public Act 96-655) may continue to use that sign on that school bus rather than a sign that conforms to the requirements of Public Act 96-655; however, if the school bus owner replaces that sign, the replacement sign shall conform to the requirements of Public Act 96-655.

(b) The owner of each school bus or multifunction school-activity bus shall establish procedures for accepting the calls provided for under subsection (a) and for taking complaints.

(c) The procedures established under subsection (b) shall include, but not be limited to:

(1) an internal investigation of the events that led to each complaint; and

(2) a report to the complaining party on the results of the investigation and the action taken, if any.

(Source: P.A. 95-176, eff. 1-1-08; 96-410, eff. 7-1-10; 96-655, eff. 1-1-10; 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10.)

(625 ILCS 5/12-825)

Sec. 12-825. Extracurricular activities; passengers.

(a) Each school bus operated by a public or private primary or secondary school transporting students enrolled in grade 12 or below for a school related athletic event or other school approved extracurricular activity shall be registered under subsection (a) of Section 3-808 of this Code, comply with school bus driver permit requirements under Section 6-104 of this Code, comply with the minimum liability insurance requirements under Section 12-707.01 of this Code, and comply with special requirements pertaining to school buses under this Chapter.

(b) Each school bus that operates under subsection (a) of this Section may be used for the transportation of passengers other than students enrolled in grade 12 or below for activities that do not involve either a public or private educational institution if the school bus driver or school bus owner complies with Section 12-806 of this Code and the "SCHOOL BUS" sign under Section 12-802 of this Code is either removed or obscured so that it is not visible to other motorists.

(Source: P.A. 100-241, eff. 1-1-18; 100-863, eff. 8-14-18.)

(625 ILCS 5/Ch. 12 Art. IX heading) ARTICLE IX. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION BUSES

(625 ILCS 5/12-900) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 12-900)

Sec. 12-900. Color and markings. Each religious organization bus may be of any color and have any markings designating its purpose other than those required for school buses under Article VIII of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 79-798.)

(625 ILCS 5/12-901) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 12-901)

Sec. 12-901. Special lighting equipment. Any religious organization bus may be equipped with a 4-lamp flashing signal system having unison flashing amber lamps, 2 at the front and 2 at the rear of the bus, mounted as high and as widely spaced laterally on the same level as is practicable. If such equipment is installed, (a) each lamp must be a sealed beam at least 5 1/2 inches in diameter and have sufficient intensity to be visible at 500 feet in normal sunlight, (b) the system shall be actuated only by means of a manual switch, and (c) there shall be a device for indicating to the driver that the system is operating properly or is inoperative.

(Source: P.A. 79-798.)

(625 ILCS 5/12-902) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 12-902)

Sec. 12-902. Rules and regulations. The Department of Transportation may promulgate rules and regulations to more completely specify the equipment requirements for every motor vehicle defined as a religious organization bus under Section 1-111.1a.

(Source: P.A. 90-89, eff. 1-1-98.)

(625 ILCS 5/Ch. 13 heading) CHAPTER 13. INSPECTION OF VEHICLES

(625 ILCS 5/13-100) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 13-100)

Sec. 13-100. (Repealed).

(Source: P.A. 85-1407. Repealed by P.A. 90-89, eff. 1-1-98.)

(625 ILCS 5/13-100.1)

Sec. 13-100.1. Definitions. As used in this Chapter, "affected areas" means the counties of Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kane, McHenry, Will, Madison, St. Clair, and Monroe and the townships of Aux Sable and Goose Lake in Grundy County and the township of Oswego in Kendall County.

(Source: P.A. 91-254, eff. 7-1-00.)

(625 ILCS 5/13-101) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 13-101)

Sec. 13-101. Submission to safety test; certificate of safety. To promote the safety of the general public, every owner of a second division vehicle, medical transport vehicle, tow truck, first division vehicle including a taxi which is used for a purpose that requires a school bus driver permit, motor vehicle used for driver education training, or contract carrier transporting employees in the course of their employment on a highway of this State in a vehicle designed to carry 15 or fewer passengers shall, before operating the vehicle upon the highways of Illinois, submit it to a "safety test" and secure a certificate of safety furnished by the Department as set forth in Section 13-109. Each second division motor vehicle that pulls or draws a trailer, semitrailer or pole trailer, with a gross weight of 10,001 lbs or more or is registered for a gross weight of 10,001 lbs or more, motor bus, religious organization bus, school bus, senior citizen transportation vehicle, and limousine shall be subject to inspection by the Department and the Department is authorized to establish rules and regulations for the implementation of such inspections.

The owners of each salvage vehicle shall submit it to a "safety test" and secure a certificate of safety furnished by the Department prior to its salvage vehicle inspection pursuant to Section 3-308 of this Code. In implementing and enforcing the provisions of this Section, the Department and other authorized State agencies shall do so in a manner that is not inconsistent with any applicable federal law or regulation so that no federal funding or support is jeopardized by the enactment or application of these provisions.

However, none of the provisions of Chapter 13 requiring safety tests or a certificate of safety shall apply to:

(a) farm tractors, machinery and implements, wagons, wagon-trailers or like farm vehicles used primarily in agricultural pursuits;

(b) vehicles other than school buses, tow trucks and medical transport vehicles owned or operated by a municipal corporation or political subdivision having a population of 1,000,000 or more inhabitants and which are subject to safety tests imposed by local ordinance or resolution;

(c) a semitrailer or trailer having a gross weight of 5,000 pounds or less including vehicle weight and maximum load;

(d) recreational vehicles;

(e) vehicles registered as and displaying Illinois antique vehicle plates and vehicles registered as expanded-use antique vehicles and displaying expanded-use antique vehicle plates;

(f) house trailers equipped and used for living quarters;

(g) vehicles registered as and displaying Illinois permanently mounted equipment plates or similar vehicles eligible therefor but registered as governmental vehicles provided that if said vehicle is reclassified from a permanently mounted equipment plate so as to lose the exemption of not requiring a certificate of safety, such vehicle must be safety tested within 30 days of the reclassification;

(h) vehicles owned or operated by a manufacturer, dealer or transporter displaying a special plate or plates as described in Chapter 3 of this Code while such vehicle is being delivered from the manufacturing or assembly plant directly to the purchasing dealership or distributor, or being temporarily road driven for quality control testing, or from one dealer or distributor to another, or are being moved by the most direct route from one location to another for the purpose of installing special bodies or equipment, or driven for purposes of demonstration by a prospective buyer with the dealer or his agent present in the cab of the vehicle during the demonstration;

(i) pole trailers and auxiliary axles;

(j) special mobile equipment;

(k) vehicles properly registered in another State pursuant to law and displaying a valid registration plate or digital registration plate, except vehicles of contract carriers transporting employees in the course of their employment on a highway of this State in a vehicle designed to carry 15 or fewer passengers are only exempted to the extent that the safety testing requirements applicable to such vehicles in the state of registration are no less stringent than the safety testing requirements applicable to contract carriers that are lawfully registered in Illinois;

(l) water-well boring apparatuses or rigs;

(m) any vehicle which is owned and operated by the federal government and externally displays evidence of such ownership; and

(n) second division vehicles registered for a gross weight of 10,000 pounds or less, except when such second division motor vehicles pull or draw a trailer, semi-trailer or pole trailer having a gross weight of or registered for a gross weight of more than 10,000 pounds; motor buses; religious organization buses; school buses; senior citizen transportation vehicles; medical transport vehicles; tow trucks; and any property carrying vehicles being operated in commerce that are registered for a gross weight of more than 8,000 lbs but less than 10,001 lbs.

The safety test shall include the testing and inspection of brakes, lights, horns, reflectors, rear vision mirrors, mufflers, safety chains, windshields and windshield wipers, warning flags and flares, frame, axle, cab and body, or cab or body, wheels, steering apparatus, and other safety devices and appliances required by this Code and such other safety tests as the Department may by rule or regulation require, for second division vehicles, school buses, medical transport vehicles, tow trucks, first division vehicles including taxis which are used for a purpose that requires a school bus driver permit, motor vehicles used for driver education training, vehicles designed to carry 15 or fewer passengers operated by a contract carrier transporting employees in the course of their employment on a highway of this State, trailers, and semitrailers subject to inspection.

For tow trucks, the safety test and inspection shall also include the inspection of winch mountings, body panels, body mounts, wheel lift swivel points, and sling straps, and other tests and inspections the Department by rule requires for tow trucks.

For driver education vehicles used by public high schools, the vehicle must also be equipped with dual control brakes, a mirror on each side of the vehicle so located as to reflect to the driver a view of the highway for a distance of at least 200 feet to the rear, and a sign visible from the front and the rear identifying the vehicle as a driver education car.

For trucks, truck tractors, trailers, semi-trailers, buses engaged in interstate commerce as defined Section 1-133 of this Code, and first division vehicles including taxis which are used for a purpose that requires a school bus driver permit, the safety test shall be conducted in accordance with the Minimum Periodic Inspection Standards promulgated by the Federal Highway Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation and contained in Appendix G to Subchapter B of Chapter III of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Those standards, as now in effect, are made a part of this Code, in the same manner as though they were set out in full in this Code.

The passing of the safety test shall not be a bar at any time to prosecution for operating a second division vehicle, medical transport vehicle, motor vehicle used for driver education training, or vehicle designed to carry 15 or fewer passengers operated by a contract carrier as provided in this Section that is unsafe, as determined by the standards prescribed in this Code.

(Source: P.A. 103-476, eff. 1-1-24.)

(625 ILCS 5/13-101.1) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 13-101.1)

Sec. 13-101.1. Senior citizen transportation vehicle. Any vehicle of 12 or more passengers used in the transportation of senior citizens shall bear placards on both sides indicating it is being used for such purposes. The placards may be permanently or temporarily affixed to the vehicle. The size of the letters must be at least 2 inches high and the stroke of the brush must be at least 1/2 inch wide. Any such vehicle used for such purposes shall be subject to the inspections provided for vehicles of the second division and its operation shall be governed according to the requirements of this Code.

(Source: P.A. 82-957.)

(625 ILCS 5/13-102) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 13-102)

Sec. 13-102. Tests and investigations.

The Department shall conduct tests and make investigations to determine the kind and type of equipment necessary to test the brakes, lights, frame, wheels, steering apparatus, including camber and caster of the axle, and toe-in and tracking of the wheels, and all other devices and appliances referred to in this Act; and shall make public its findings and furnish upon request a list of the various testing devices approved by it.

(Source: P.A. 78-1244; 78-1297.)

(625 ILCS 5/13-102.1)

Sec. 13-102.1. Diesel powered vehicle emission inspection report. Beginning July 1, 2000, the Department of Transportation shall conduct an annual study concerned with the results of emission inspections for diesel powered vehicles registered for a gross weight of more than 16,000 pounds or having a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 16,000 pounds. The study shall be reported to the General Assembly by June 30, 2001, and every June 30 thereafter. The study shall also be sent to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for its use in environmental matters.

The study shall include, but not be limited to, the following information:

(a) the number of diesel powered vehicles that were inspected for emission compliance pursuant to this Chapter 13 during the previous year, separating the number of inspections conducted at a brick-and-mortar official testing station and the number of inspections conducted by an official portable emissions testing company;

(b) the number of diesel powered vehicles that failed and passed the emission inspections conducted pursuant to this Chapter 13 during the previous year, separating the number of inspections conducted at a brick-and-mortar official testing station and the number of inspections conducted by an official portable emissions testing company; and

(c) the number of diesel powered vehicles that failed the emission inspections conducted pursuant to this Chapter 13 more than once in the previous year, separating the number of inspections conducted at a brick-and-mortar official testing station and the number of inspections conducted by an official portable emissions testing company.

(Source: P.A. 102-566, eff. 1-1-22.)