Police Radio In A Vehicle
Minn. Stat. 299C.37 — a police frequency receiver in a vehicle needs a permit or an amateur license
Minnesota's rule is section 299C.37. No person other than peace officers, members of the State Patrol, and holders of an amateur radio license issued by the Federal Communications Commission may equip a motor vehicle with radio equipment capable of receiving a police emergency frequency, or install, use or possess it in a motor vehicle, without permission from the superintendent of the bureau.
An amateur radio license does not cover everyone. The amateur radio privilege does not extend to a license holder convicted of a crime of violence, unless ten years have passed since the person was restored to civil rights or the sentence expired, whichever occurs first, with no further crime of violence in that time. A license holder using the privilege carries the license in the vehicle and presents it to a peace officer on request.
A first violation is a misdemeanor, and a second or later one a gross misdemeanor. The superintendent issues a nontransferable written permit to a person or business showing good cause to use the equipment as a necessity in the lawful pursuit of a business, trade or occupation.
This is the section, not an assessment. Whether a particular radio, vehicle or situation is one the section reaches, and whether some other law, a local rule or federal law also applies, are questions it does not answer. A licensed Minnesota attorney is who answers them.
Sources for this section (1)
- Minn. Stat. 299C.37 — Police communication equipment; use, sale
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Minnesota attorney.