Memphis, TN Noise from Specific Sources: Delivery Truck Noise (2026)

Chapter 11-56 of the Memphis Code of Ordinances, adopted by Ordinance No. 2106 in August 1974, governs noise from every motorized vehicle operating in the city, including delivery trucks, box trucks and buses running local routes. Section 11-56-2 sets Table I, a four-tier schedule of maximum allowable dB(A) readings measured at 25 feet and 50 feet from the vehicle: heavy trucks and buses over 10,000 pounds top out at 93 dB(A) close-range and 87 dB(A) at the longer distance, while trucks and buses under 10,000 pounds are held to 86 and 80 dB(A). Passenger cars and motorcycles carry their own, separate limits under the same table.

Enforcement follows a defined measurement protocol. Officers must use a sound level meter meeting American National Standards Institute specifications, keep it in calibration, and run a calibration check at the time of every reading. For a moving truck, the officer first records a reading while the vehicle is in motion, then confirms it with a stationary reading taken while the driver revs the engine to one-half throttle. Traffic, aircraft and other background transportation noise are excluded from the reading unless that background noise interferes with measuring the truck itself.

Section 11-56-7 exempts garbage collection trucks, whether city-owned or privately contracted, from the dB(A) caps only while they are actively loading or processing garbage and debris; the exemption does not cover routine driving. No comparable exemption exists for other delivery or commercial trucks, so a box truck or freight carrier making residential or downtown deliveries must stay within the same Table I limits as any other truck on the road. Violations are cited under Section 11-56-6 upon issuance of a traffic citation by a police officer who has verified the reading with a sound meter, or after a private citizen's complaint that police confirm.