Billings, MT Noise from Specific Sources: Low-Frequency Bass Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Audible-distance trigger
- 50 feet from the vehicle
- First-offense fine
- $300 civil penalty
- Repeat fine (24 months)
- $500 civil penalty
- Enforcement method
- Officer's unaided hearing, no meter
- Ordinance effective
- April 13, 2026
Summary
Billings prohibits vehicle sound systems that produce bass reverberation or music plainly audible fifty feet away, treating it as unreasonable noise under the city's vehicle noise ordinance.
Plainly audible means any sound that can be clearly heard, including bass reverberation, by a person of ordinary hearing without the use of a sound-level meter.
Unreasonable noise means any sound produced by a motor vehicle that is plainly audible at a distance of fifty (50) feet or more from the vehicle, including but not limited to amplified music, exhaust noise, engine revving, or tire squealing, as determined by a law enforcement officer using unaided hearing.
(Ord. No. 26-5927, § 1, 4-13-26)
Sec. 24-355. - Unreasonable vehicle noise prohibited. (a)It is unlawful for any person to operate, or cause to be operated, a motor vehicle that produces unreasonable noise as defined in this chapter.(b)It is unlawful to operate a motor vehicle:(1)With a muffler, exhaust, or noise-suppression device that violates MCA 61-9-403, 61-9-418, or 61-9-435; or(2)With any device, modification, or equipment designed or used to increase noise output beyond the vehicle's original manufacturer specifications, except as permitted by state law. (Ord. No. 26-5927, § 1, 4-13-26)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 66 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Billings' vehicle noise ordinance (Chapter 24, Division 4, adopted April 2026) defines "plainly audible" sound to explicitly include bass reverberation from car stereos. Any vehicle noise -- amplified music, bass, exhaust, revving, or tire squeal -- that a police officer can hear unaided from fifty feet away qualifies as unreasonable noise and is unlawful to produce. Officers weigh time of day, location, and proximity to homes or schools when enforcing. The rule supplements state muffler and exhaust standards under MCA Title 61 and needs no decibel meter -- an officer's ordinary hearing at the fifty-foot mark is enough to write a citation.
Violations & Fines
First offense: $300 civil penalty. Repeat violations within 24 months: $500 each. The registered owner is presumed responsible if the driver can't be identified.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Billings police need a decibel meter to cite me for loud bass?
Is any vehicle sound system exempt?
What if the driver can't be identified?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Billings
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