1. This section applies to the total noise from a vehicle or combination of vehicles and shall not be construed as limited or precluding the enforcement of any other provisions of this code relating to motor vehicle mufflers or noise control.
2. No person shall operate the engine providing motive power, or an auxiliary engine, of a motor vehicle with a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds of more for a period longer than 20 minutes while such vehicle is standing and located within 150 feet of property zoned and used for residential purposes except where such vehicle is standing within a completely enclosed building and does not create a noise disturbance across a real property boundary as defined in this chapter. This section shall not apply to deliver or pickup vehicles that require the operation of the engine to unload or load their vending loads.
3. No person shall operate within the speed limits specified in this section either a motor vehicle, or a combination of vehicles of a type subject to registration, at any time or under any condition of grade, load, acceleration or deceleration in such manner as to exceed the noise limit listed herein below for the category of motor vehicle, based on the legal speed limit, posted or not, of the road or way on which operate, such noise to be measured at a distance of no more than 50 feet from the centerline of travel under test procedures established by subsection 4 of this section. In the event the distance of the measuring instrument from centerline of travel is less than 50 feet, such listed noise limits shall be corrected to reflect the equivalent noise limits for the actual distance.
Noise Limit in Relation to Legal Speed Limit
Type of Vehicle | Below 35 MPH | Over 35 MPH |
Any motor vehicle with a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or more and any combination of vehicles towed by such motor vehicle. | 88 dB(a) | 92 dB(a) |
Any motorcycle | 82 dB(a) | 86 dB(a) |
Any other motor vehicle and any combination of motor vehicles towed by such motor vehicle | 76 dB(a) | 82 dB(a) |
4. The measurement of sound or noise shall be made with a sound level meter meeting the standards prescribed by the American National Standards Institute or its successor body. The instrument shall be maintained in calibration and good working order. Octave band corrections may be employed in meeting the response specification. A calibration check shall be made of the system at the time of any noise measurement. Measurements recorded shall be taken so as to provide a proper representation of the noise source. The microphone during measurement shall be positioned so as not to create any unnatural enhancement or diminution of the measured noise. A windscreen for the microphone shall be used when required. Traffic, aircraft and other transportation noise sources and other background noises shall not be considered in taking measurements except where such background noise interferes with the primary noise being measured.
5. Every motor vehicle shall at all times be equipped with a muffler in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise and annoying smoke. No person shall use a muffler cutout, bypass, or similar device upon a motor vehicle on a highway.
6. No person shall modify the exhaust system of a motor vehicle or motorcycle by installation of a muffler cutout or bypass, and no person shall operate a motor vehicle or motorcycle which has been so modified. A motor vehicle so operated shall be deemed equipped with a muffler which emits excessive and unusual noise and which is not in good working order.
7. No person shall operate a recreational vehicle or permit the operation of one or more recreational vehicles individually or in a group or in an organized racing event, on public or private property in such a manner that the sound level resulting from such operation exceeds: 73 dBa for any total of three minutes in any continuous one-hour period, or exceeds 90 dBa for any period of time during such operation. Sound levels which exceed the limits herein described at the real property boundary of the receiving land use shall be deemed a noise disturbance.
8. Notwithstanding other provisions of this chapter, no person shall permit the conducting of any part of an organized racing event which involves contest between or among recreational vehicles on public or private property between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. the following morning.