San Antonio, TX Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Sec. 21-52(a)(4)
- Exception
- Bona fide danger signal use
- First offense fine
- $100-$500
- Repeat-offense fine
- Up to $2,000
- Responsible party
- Whoever left vehicle/alarm unattended
- Habitual source
- 3 violations in 12 months triggers seizure
Summary
San Antonio classifies the continued or frequent sounding of a car horn, alarm or other vehicle signal device as a noise nuisance under City Code Sec. 21-52(a)(4), unless the horn is being used as a genuine danger signal. A violation is a Class C misdemeanor enforced by the housing and neighborhood services director's noise abatement officers.
(a)The following acts, among others not hereinafter enumerated, are declared to be "noise nuisances," and are unlawful and in violation of the provisions of this division when such acts are done or accomplished or carried on in such a manner, or with such volume, intensity, or with continued duration, so as to annoy, to distress, or to disturb the quiet, comfort, or repose of a person of reasonable nervous sensibilities, within the vicinity or hearing thereof ... (4)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.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 21-52(a)(4) is part of the city's broader noise-nuisance enumeration in Sec. 21-52(a), which bans acts carried on with such volume, intensity or continued duration that they annoy, distress or disturb the quiet, comfort or repose of a person of reasonable nervous sensibilities. Applied to vehicles, that makes the continued or frequent sounding of a horn, car alarm or other signal device unlawful, with a single carve-out: sounding the horn as a genuine danger signal, such as to avoid a collision, is not a violation no matter how loud.
A car alarm that keeps triggering and resounding in a driveway or parking lot falls within the same prohibition once it becomes 'continued or frequent' rather than a one-time alert. Sec. 21-59(3) assigns responsibility to whoever left the noise-producing item, including a vehicle, unattended if it then starts producing the nuisance noise, so an alarm owner can be cited even if they are not present when officers respond. The director of housing and neighborhood services, acting through noise abatement officers, can issue an immediate administrative stop order under Sec.
21-57(a) against the sound, and after three such violations at the same address or by the same person within 12 months, a municipal court magistrate can declare the person or location an 'habitual noise nuisance' source, opening the door to seizure of the offending device under Sec. 21-57(f).
Violations & Fines
A single violation of the horn or alarm nuisance rule is a Class C misdemeanor fined $100 to $500 under Sec. 21-58(a). An intentional, knowing or reckless violation carries a fine of $100 to $2,000 for a first offense, rising to a $200 minimum for a second conviction and a $300 minimum for a third and later convictions, with each day treated as a separate offense under Sec. 21-58(c).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get cited if my car alarm keeps going off while I'm inside?
Is honking my horn to avoid a crash ever illegal under this rule?
What happens after repeated car-alarm complaints at the same address?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Antonio
Texas rules heatmap·Compare San Antonio to another location·View the Texas noise from specific sources overview
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