The Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) is a standby radio service established under FCC Part 97 to support government communication during emergencies. RACES is composed of amateur radio operators but is organized by local municipal and county governments. To participate, RACES members must be registered with the government before they can operate as part of a RACES team.

Repeaters listed on RepeaterBook can be tagged as RACES-affiliated to indicate their involvement in supporting RACES activities.

The key difference between ARES and RACES lies in their organization:

• ARES: Organized by amateur radio operators who volunteer their services to local governments.
• RACES: Organized directly by the government, with stricter operational and registration requirements.

By FCC rules, both ARES and RACES members must serve as unpaid volunteers while operating on amateur radio frequencies.

Under the War Powers Act, the amateur radio service may be temporarily suspended during national emergencies. This could result in ARES operations being halted, while RACES operations would be allowed to continue, provided there is an official emergency declaration by the government. For this reason, many ARES members also register as RACES members to ensure their ability to assist during such scenarios.

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