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El Paso, TX Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Governing rule
§ 9.40.020(B)(6) horns/signal devices
Standard
Continued or frequent sounding banned
Exception
Genuine danger signal use
Not covered by
Ch. 5.13 (excludes vehicle alarms)

Summary

Letting a car horn or vehicle alarm sound continuously or frequently is a noise nuisance in El Paso. City Code § 9.40.020(B)(6) bans the 'continued or frequent sounding of any horn or other signal device' on an automobile, motorcycle, or bus, except as a genuine danger signal.

6. Horns and signal devices. The continued or frequent sounding of any horn or other signal device on any automobile or vehicle, motorcycle, bus or other vehicle, except as a danger signal.

View official code

Full Breakdown

020(B) opens by making clear these are nuisance-based standards, not fixed decibel tests: 'specific noises that can constitute a noise nuisance include, but are not limited to' the categories that follow. Item 6, 'Horns and signal devices,' targets exactly the pattern a triggered car alarm produces, repeated or ongoing horn or signal sounding, and prohibits it unless the sounding functions as an actual danger signal. Because the standard is behavioral (continued or frequent) rather than numeric, a single legitimate honk or alarm chirp isn't captured, but a car alarm cycling repeatedly and unresolved is.

13 (Security Alarm Systems). 010(A)(1) excludes from 'alarm system' 'an alarm installed on a vehicle, unless the vehicle is used for a habitation at a permanent site,' so a car alarm's legal home is squarely the horn-and-signal-device nuisance rule in (B)(6), not the permitted security-alarm program.

Violations & Fines

A vehicle owner or the person in control of the vehicle can be cited for a noise-nuisance violation once the alarm's sounding is continued or frequent and not functioning as a genuine danger signal; enforcement runs through the same nuisance-complaint process as other § 9.40.020(B) categories, with no numeric decibel threshold to meet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a car alarm going off repeatedly illegal in El Paso?
Yes. Section 9.40.020(B)(6) bans the 'continued or frequent sounding of any horn or other signal device' on a vehicle, motorcycle, or bus except when it functions as an actual danger signal, and a malfunctioning alarm cycling on and off qualifies.
Does the city's security-alarm permit chapter cover car alarms?
No. Chapter 5.13's definition of 'alarm system' at § 5.13.010(A)(1) expressly excludes 'an alarm installed on a vehicle, unless the vehicle is used for a habitation at a permanent site,' so vehicle alarms fall under the horn-and-signal nuisance rule instead.
Is there a decibel limit for car alarms specifically?
No numeric cap applies. Section 9.40.020(B)(6) uses a behavioral test, continued or frequent sounding, rather than a measured sound level, unlike the HVAC or delivery exemptions elsewhere in the same section.
Can honking my horn once to warn a driver get me cited?
No. The rule only bans continued or frequent sounding; a single horn use functioning as a danger signal is expressly excepted under § 9.40.020(B)(6).

Sources & Official References

Other rules in El Paso

Noise Ordinances: Construction HoursSome RestrictionsParking Rules: RV & Boat ParkingSome RestrictionsDelivery Truck NoiseLight RestrictionsLow-Frequency Bass LimitsSome RestrictionsGenerator NoiseSome RestrictionsHVAC & Mechanical NoiseSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Driveway RulesSome RestrictionsFence Regulations: Fence Permit RequirementsLight RestrictionsFence Regulations: Material RestrictionsSignificant RestrictionsFence Regulations: Retaining WallsSome Restrictions

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