We present an efficient and convenient synthesis of 3,8-dibromophenanthridine derivatives and their conjugated polymers and demonstrate that phenanthridine-containing conjugated polymers can be used as luminescent chemosensor materials. High molecular weight poly(phenanthridine-co-fluorene)s (P1, P2) and poly(phenanthridine-co-p-phenylene) (P3) were synthesized by palladium-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura-Schluter polycondensation (SMSPC). These phenanthridine-containing polymers are of high quantum yields in solution and show reversible optical response to protonation and deprotonation of the phenanthridine rings.