Chicopee, MA Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)

Chicopee's Noise chapter, Chapter 200, was adopted by the Board of Aldermen (now City Council) on 5-21-1996 as Ord. No. 96-33. It never uses the words car alarm, vehicle alarm or security alarm, so the rule that reaches a sounding alarm is § 200-3(A), which is written around any horn or signal device.

Section 200-3(A) covers the repeated or continuous sounding of any horn or signal device on any automobile, motorcycle, bus or other vehicle while stationary. The only carve-out for a stationary vehicle is sounding it as a danger signal to warn of something, and the example the code gives is an approaching vehicle that is apparently out of control. For a vehicle in motion, sounding the device is allowed only as a danger signal after or as brakes are being applied and deceleration of the vehicle is intended.

The subsection also reaches the quality and length of the sound. It prohibits creating, by means of any such signal device, any reasonably loud or harsh sound, and sounding any such device for an unnecessary period of time. The lead-in to § 200-3 says the listed acts are "among others" and that the enumeration is not exclusive, so the general standard in § 200-2 also applies: any unreasonably loud, disturbing and unnecessary noise is prohibited, including noise of such character, intensity and duration as to be detrimental to the life or health of any individual or contrary to the public welfare.

Under § 200-1, the chapter does not apply to organs, radios, bells, chimes or other instruments used by a church, synagogue or school. That exemption is for those institutions and does not cover a vehicle owner's horn or alarm. Section 200-6 names the Chicopee Police Department, Building Department and Health Department as the enforcers.