Caldwell, ID Noise from Specific Sources: Low-Frequency Bass Limits (2026)

Section 07-13-04(1), titled "Loud Amplification Devices Prohibited," targets vehicle-mounted sound systems separately from the general citywide noise curfew in section 07-13-03. It is unlawful for any person to operate or permit the operation of a "loud amplification device," a term defined in section 07-13-02 to include any radio, stereo, tape player, compact disc player or comparable sound broadcasting device, upon or within a motor vehicle in a manner that leaves the sound plainly audible on a public right of way or street 50 feet or more from the source.

, this vehicle amplification rule carries no time-of-day limit: a car stereo or subwoofer that is plainly audible, meaning its speech or musical content is identifiable to a listener, at 50 feet can violate the section at any hour. The 50 foot threshold is roughly a third of the 150 foot distance used for the general noise curfew in section 07-13-03, reflecting that the rule targets a moving, roadside source rather than noise reaching into a home or business. The article's exceptions in section 07-13-05, covering emergency vehicles, permitted parades and zoning-approved devices such as drive-through speakers, do not extend to ordinary vehicle stereo equipment on public streets.