Dallas Chapter 30 noise rules and Texas Transportation Code Section 547.604 require commercial trucks to use functioning mufflers and prohibit excessive noise. Loading-dock activity near residences faces 65 dBA night limits between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Two regimes govern delivery-truck noise. Texas Transportation Code Section 547.604 requires every motor vehicle to have a muffler in good working order to prevent excessive or unusual noise; modified or removed mufflers, including stacks and Jake-brake engine retarders used in residential areas, violate state law. Dallas Chapter 30 adds property-line decibel limits: 65 dBA nighttime (10 p.m. to 7 a.m.) and 75 dBA daytime at residential receivers. Dock activity, refrigeration units, beepers, and idling fall under these limits. Dallas zoning Chapter 51A also restricts loading-dock orientation when commercial sites abut residential. Dallas Police enforce muffler violations; Code Compliance handles dock noise.
TX Transportation Code 547.604 muffler violation: Class C misdemeanor, fine up to $200. Dallas Chapter 30 dock-noise citation: up to $500 per day. Idling beyond five minutes near residential may add separate environmental citation under TCEQ rules.
Dallas, TX
Dallas Chapter 30 does not set specific decibel limits for most noise sources. Instead, it uses a subjective standard of 'unreasonably loud, disturbing, and ...
Dallas, TX
Dallas City Code Chapter 30 limits construction-equipment noise to 75 dBA at the property line of any residential receiver between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., with co...
See how Dallas's delivery truck noise rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.