Section 311-3-01 - Vehicle markings(A) All marked vehicles of Ohio county sheriffs purchased or placed into service on or after the effective date of this rule shall be black. Specialty vehicles, such as SWAT vans, crime scene vehicles, mobile command posts, ATV's, and bicycles, shall be black when practical.(B) All standard and optional vehicle markings shall conform substantially to the standards for design, color, and placement prescribed by this rule. Measurements and placement may be adjusted in proportion to the size and shape of the vehicle.(C) All standard and optional vehicle markings shall be produced on yellow 3M ScotchliteT reflective material, item 680-91 or 580-91. Instructions for application shall be provided with each order.(D) All marked vehicles of Ohio county sheriffs shall display the following standard car markings:(1) A five point star, eighteen inches wide, shall be placed on each front door, one inch from the front quarter panel. The star shall be screen-printed with six ink colors: P.M.S. 485 red, process blue, emerald green (P.M.S. 341), P.M.S. 462 brown, white, and reflex blue. Each star will have a P.M.S. 485 red edge border. The design of the great seal of the state shall be reproduced in full color in the center of each star. The design of the great seal shall consist of the coat of arms of the state printed in reflex blue, emerald green (P.M.S. 341), white, and P.M.S. 462 brown. The coat of arms shall be surrounded by the words, "THE GREAT SEAL OF THE STATE OF OHIO," printed in white with a reflex blue frame.
The great seal shall be surrounded by a circular border in which the name of the county is printed in uppercase letters below the great seal and the word "SHERIFF" is printed above the seal. The lettering shall be reflex blue. The name of the sheriff, printed in reflex blue uppercase letters, may be placed in a custom-designed rocker panel above the word "SHERIFF."
(2) The word "SHERIFF," produced on a forty-five inch pre-aligned, pre-spaced panel, shall be placed on the front and rear vehicle doors, parallel to the ground. (a) The panel shall be positioned so that no letter is split between the doors of the vehicle. On the driver's side, the word "SHERIFF" should begin approximately four inches to the right of the star prescribed in paragraph (D)(1) of this rule. On the passenger's side. The word "SHERIFF" should end approximately four inches to the right of the star.(b) The lettering shall be seven inches high, uppercase, in Isbella bold type, with a ten degree right slant. The word "SHERIFF" will slant toward the rear of the vehicle on the driver's side and toward the front of the vehicle on the passenger's side.(3) Striping in two and one-half inch and one inch widths shall be applied to the two front quarter panels and the two rear quarter panels, in alignment with the seven inch high "SHERIFF" panels on the doors. Striping shall not extend onto the door panels. (a) Striping shall be placed on the front quarter panels as follows: The top stripe shall be two and one-half inches wide with the top of the stripe level with the top of the word "SHERIFF" on the doors; the middle stripe shall be one inch wide and placed one and one-half inches below the top stripe; the bottom stripe shall be one inch wide and placed one inch below the middle stripe; the distance from the top of the top stripe to the bottom of the bottom stripe shall be seven inches.(b) Striping shall be placed on the rear quarter panels as follows: The top stripe shall be one inch wide with the top of the stripe level with the top of the word "SHERIFF" on the doors; the middle stripe shall be one inch wide and placed one inch below the top stripe; the bottom stripe shall be two and one-half inches wide and placed one and one-half inches below the middle stripe; the distance from the top of the top stripe to the bottom of the bottom stripe shall be seven inches.(4) A first to serve decal shall be placed on each rear quarter panel, centered vertically on the bottom stripe and horizontally between the rear wheel well and the taillight. If, in this placement, the first to serve decal would be located on top of the fuel tank fill cap and door, then the first to serve decal shall be placed to the rear of the fuel tank fill cap and door. The template for placement of the decal shall have instructions for placement and for removal of the existing stripe area. The first to serve decal shall be produced on an oval patch ten inches wide and 6.68 inches high. The decal shall be screen-printed in seven colors: white, P.M.S. 485 red, reflex blue, process blue, emerald green (P.M.S. 341), P.M.S. 462 brown, and translucent black.
The logo of the buckeye state sheriffs' association (BSSA), consisting of an outline of the state of Ohio, the Ohio flag, and a badge, shall be reproduced in the center of the decal on a black background. The BSSA logo shall be 3.81 inches wide and 3.75 inches high. The flag shall have seventeen white stars in the blue field and six white and six red stripes. The badge shall be a five-point star with the great seal of the state of Ohio depicted in the center. The design of the great seal shall conform to the requirements of section 5.101 of the Revised Code.
The phrase "FIRST TO SERVE" shall arch above the BSSA logo and the phrase "SINCE 1788" shall arch below. The lettering shall be uppercase, Times 61.4834 point type.
(5) Front and rear license plates shall have the following markings:(a) The word "SHERIFF" shall appear in one inch high reflective letters, being zurich bold centered at the top of the plate,(b) An Ohio shape being P.M.S. 109 yellow shall be located on the left side of the plate,(c) The designated county number, in P.M.S. 485 red numbers two inches high, shall be placed within the Ohio shape,(d) A vehicle number, in reflective numbers, being zurich bold with a red border, three inches high, shall be placed on the right side of the plate,(e) A P.M.S. 109 yellow border shall frame the entire plate.(6) The word "SHERIFF," produced on a twenty-seven inch pre-aligned, pre-spaced panel, shall be centered on the trunk deck lid of each marked vehicle. The lettering shall be three inches high, in uppercase "ISBELLA" bold type, with a ten degree right slant.(E) County sheriffs may employ the following optional vehicle markings: (1) The assigned vehicle number may be placed on the roof of the vehicle to render it visible from the air,(2) The name of a political subdivision for which a sheriff provides services by contract may be placed on both upper rear quarter panels, parallel to the ground in Isbella bold lettering one and one-half inches high,(3) If a grill guard, such as a push bar or a bull bar, is installed on the vehicle, then the word "SHERIFF" in all capital letters may be placed in the center of the top bar. The text shall be of a font size that allows all parts of the letter to be visible to a person standing in front of the vehicle.(F) All marked vehicles of Ohio county sheriffs shall be equipped with one of the following emergency light combinations:(1) Alternating red and blue; or(2) Alternating red, blue and white.(G) The sheriff may install emergency lights as prescribed by paragraph (F) of this rule on transportation and other specialty vehicles.(H) The sheriff may assign unmarked cars to investigators and others whose duties make secrecy desirable.Ohio Admin. Code 311-3-01
Effective: 11/11/2019
Five Year Review (FYR) Dates: 8/7/2019 and 11/11/2024
Promulgated Under: 111.15
Statutory Authority: 311.26, 311.28
Rule Amplifies: 311.28
Prior Effective Dates: 07/01/1976, 07/21/1979, 12/15/2001, 09/25/2014