California often goes its own way in developing industry regulations. Just as it has done with automotive emissions, the Sunshine State has its own set of regulations for warning lights for emergency and special hazard vehicles: California Title 13. Organizations providing emergency services in California need to make sure their vehicles are compliant with Title 13, including the appropriate table” or “class” of standards for the type of vehicle and lights in use.
SAE Standards
In most states, emergency and special hazard vehicles use standards developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). For emergency lights, SAE stipulates minimum standards for brightness, color, patterns, manufacturing materials and testing procedures.
While SAE specs are not actual laws in most states, they are best-practices standards recognized by the automotive and lighting industries. For those with responsibility for ensuring that their emergency vehicles are up to the task, SAE standards are the best starting point in choosing the best lighting products.
Important note: SAE publishes thousands of standards, each one numbered and typically broken out into “classes” with performance specs. Cal Title 13 uses the term “table” instead of “class.” In comparing lighting products, the term “compliant” should specify the SAE number and class or Title 13 table. Without these specifics, the term “compliant” can be misleading.
How California Title 13 differs from SAE
California Title 13 standards are similar SAE but differ in some important ways. Federal Signal (FedSig) provides the following comparison of SAE and California Title 13 regulations.
Minimum Standards for Emergency Warning Lights
SAE J845 is the set of standards that governs colors and light intensity levels for omnidirectional (360-degree) lighting. SAE J595 is its companion set of standards for directional flashing lights. Both include specs on flash patterns and frequencies, materials and product markings, and testing procedures. In comparing SAE and Cal Title 13, the important differences are in color and light intensity standards.
COLOR
SAE J845 allows four colors for omnidirectional lighting: red, blue, yellow and white. The regulations also specify acceptable shades of these colors
- Cal Title 13 restricts colors to specific ranges of red, blue, and amber
- For example, FedSig’s yellow is a rich amber lens, while other manufacturers may have a lighter yellow. Likewise, FedSig’s blue LED light meets Cal Title 13 intensity standards, while few other blue lights on the market can meet that technical standard.
LIGHT INTENSITY
Under SAE J845, light intensity is grouped into three classes:
- Class 1, brightest (18,000 cd-s/m) – the primary optical warning for emergency vehicles to alert area motorists and pedestrians to a hazardous condition
- Class 2, less bright (4,500 cd-s/m) – the primary optical warning for service and maintenance vehicles alerting the public to a traffic hazard
- Class 3, least bright (1,800 cd-s/m) – a lower-intensity light that authorized vehicles use for identification purposes
Cal Title 13 has higher technical specifications for light intensity than SAE J845:
- Cal Title 13 Table 1, brightest – this is an “above SAE Class 1” standard that is based on the perceived brightness levels of halogen lights. Since the lighting industry has largely moved to longer-life LED lighting products rather than halogens, some lighting products on the market are no longer permitted for use in California
- Cal Title 13 Table 2, second brightest (12,500 cd-s/m) – the appropriate brightness for emergency vehicle omnidirectional lighting
- Table 4, least bright (125 cd-s/m) – for gas discharge lights.
Federal Signal and California Title 13
FedSig is The Driving Force™ for reliable emergency warning for first responders and work zone safety. We support any regulations and specifications that improve civilian, property and work zone safety, and protect your organization from non-adherence fines.
- All FedSig products meet SAE standards and most meet Cal Title 13 specs. The exceptions are products that offer colors, flash patterns and speed / dwell time specs that are suitable for SAE-conforming state regulations but do not conform to CA Title 13
- FedSig products offer technology that goes beyond SAE and Cal Title 13 specs. For example, FedSig’s patented lighting technology reflects the primary light source at a precise angle to not only meet regulations, but also to optimize brightness and intensity
- FedSig technology supports lower costs for replacement parts and retrofits. For example, our FS Convergence Network with plug-and-play amplifiers and controllers and our Reliable Onboard Circuitry (ROC) with printed circuit board parts (PCBs) instead of wires and connectors reduces maintenance time and replacement costs
- Most FedSig LED products carry a 5-year warranty.
All Federal Signal’s California Title 13 products are tested in an Automotive Manufacturers Equipment Compliance Agency (AMECA) accredited laboratory. In addition, FedSig uses third-party independent labs to ensure all testing is unbiased and accurate. A test report summary appears on each product’s Federal Signal website page.
California TITLE 13 Approved LED Products Brochure
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CA Title 13 Approved Light Bars
Reliant™ S2 Light Bar
Allegiant® Light Bar
Integrity® Light Bar
Valor® Light Bar
SpectraLux® ILS
Navigator® Discrete Light Bar
Navigator® Serial Light Bar
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CA Title 13 Approved Mini-Light Bars
Highlighter® Elite
Highlighter® Micro
21″ Allegiant®
10″, 18″, 25″ Navigator®
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CA Title 13 Approved Beacons
Pro LED Beacon
SLR Beacon
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CA Title 13 Approved SignalMaster Directional Warning
Latitude™ SignalMaster™
8200S SignalMaster™
MicroPulse® SignalMaster™
CN SignalMaster™
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CA Title 13 Approved Perimeter Lights
MicroPulse® Ultra
MicroPulse® Wide 9
MicroPulse® C Series
FireRay® LED
QuadraFlare® LED
SignalTech® LED
Latitude™ Warning Lights
XStream®