Troy, MI Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Troy Code Ch. 88, § 9.5(a)
- Allowed use
- Horn/alarm only as a danger signal
- Banned
- Unreasonably loud, harsh, or prolonged sounding
- Max penalty
- $500 fine and/or 90 days jail
- Enforcing agency
- Troy Police Department
- Cross-reference
- Ch. 103 exempts vehicle alarms from registration
Summary
Troy Code Chapter 88 bans sounding a vehicle horn or alarm signal except as a genuine danger warning, and separately makes it unlawful to create an "unreasonably loud or harsh sound" from that device or to sound it for an "unnecessary and unreasonable period of time." Chapter 103's alarm ordinance expressly routes false vehicle alarms to this section rather than its own registration system.
(a) Horns and Signal Devices. The sounding of any horn or signal device on any automobile, motorcycle, bus, street car or other vehicle while not in motion except as a danger signal if another vehicle is approaching apparently out of control or to give warning of intent to get under motion, or if in motion, only as a danger signal; the creation by means of any such signal device of any unreasonably loud or harsh sound; and the sounding of such device for any unnecessary and unreasonable period of time;
Full Breakdown
" Subsection (a), Horns and Signal Devices, permits sounding a horn or alarm only as a danger signal, either to warn of an out-of-control vehicle approaching or to signal intent to move; any other use while the vehicle is stationary is banned outright. The same subsection separately bars two things regardless of the danger-signal exception: creating "any unreasonably loud or harsh sound" through the device, and sounding it for "any unnecessary and unreasonable period of time," language that covers an alarm that keeps blaring after it triggers.
5, Subsection (a)," meaning a car alarm owner never has to register with the City or face Chapter 103's false-alarm fines, only Chapter 88's general nuisance penalty. Troy Police Department officers respond to car-alarm complaints as a Chapter 88 nuisance rather than a Chapter 103 alarm violation, and can cite the vehicle owner or operator directly. The rule applies anywhere in the City, on public streets and private lots alike, and covers automobiles, motorcycles, buses and streetcars named in the text.
Violations & Fines
Violating Chapter 88's noise provisions carries the City Code's general penalty under Chapter 1, Section 1.13: a fine of up to $500, up to 90 days in the county jail, or both, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense. Troy Police Department officers issue the citation after responding to a horn or alarm complaint; there is no separate car-alarm registration or civil-infraction track under Chapter 103.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Troy require registering a car alarm the way it registers home security alarms?
When can I legally sound my horn in Troy?
What happens if my car alarm keeps going off and disturbs neighbors?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Troy
Compare Troy to another location·View the Michigan noise from specific sources overview
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