Taylor, TX Noise from Specific Sources: Generator Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code § 19-4(b)(5)
- Rule
- Exhaust must pass through an effective muffler
- Covers
- Stationary engines, generators, motor & boat engines
- Base fine
- Up to $500 per offense
- Enhanced fine
- Up to $2,000 (health/sanitation)
- Last amended
- Ord. 2024-42, Sept. 12, 2024
Summary
Taylor requires a muffler on every stationary generator and combustion engine operated in the city. City Code section 19-4(b)(5) bans discharging exhaust from a stationary internal combustion engine, motor vehicle or boat engine into open air except through a muffler that effectively prevents loud or explosive noise, backed by municipal court fines.
(5)The discharge into the open air of the exhaust of any steam engine, stationary internal combustion engine, motor vehicle or boat engine except through a muffler or other device which will effectively prevent loud or explosive noises therefrom. ... Any person, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions or terms of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction in the municipal court of the city, shall be subjected to a fine not to exceed the sum of $500.00 for each offense, except where a different penalty has been established by state law for such offense, and for any violation of any provision which governs public health or sanitation, which shall be punished by a penalty of fine not to exceed the sum of $2,000.00 for each offense; and each and every day such violation is continued shall be deemed to constitute a separate offense.
Full Breakdown
Section 19-4 declares "unreasonably loud, disturbing and unnecessary noise" a citywide nuisance, and subsection (b) lists acts that count automatically. Item (5) targets engine exhaust: it is unlawful to discharge into the open air the exhaust of any steam engine, stationary internal combustion engine, motor vehicle or boat engine except through a muffler or other device that will effectively prevent loud or explosive noises. That sweeps in portable and standby generators run outdoors, whether for a home during a power outage, a contractor on a Samsung-area jobsite, or a business running backup power, along with any other stationary engine.
The rule sets a design standard rather than a decibel ceiling: the engine must vent through a working muffler, and the enforcement test is whether the exhaust noise it produces is loud or explosive. Officers respond to complaints and weigh the noise against the general nuisance standard in subsection (a), whether it would cause material distress or discomfort to a person of ordinary sensibilities in the vicinity. The section was rewritten by Ordinance No. 2024-42 on September 12, 2024, so the muffler requirement is current law, not a holdover from the 1998 text.
00 if the violation also breaches a public health or sanitation provision of the code, with each day of continued operation without a muffler charged as a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
Operating a stationary engine or generator without an effective muffler is a misdemeanor in Taylor Municipal Court, fined up to $500.00 per offense under section 19-4(d), or up to $2,000.00 if it also violates a health or sanitation rule. Each day the unmuffled exhaust noise continues counts as its own offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Taylor limit generator noise to a decibel number?
Are portable backup generators covered during power outages?
What does a generator noise violation cost in Taylor?
Is there a time-of-day exception for generator noise?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Taylor
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Taylor to another location·View the Texas noise from specific sources overview
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