Taylor, MI Noise from Specific Sources: Low-Frequency Bass Limits (2026)

Section 20-25 of the Taylor City Code targets electronically-amplified sound systems in or on parked or moving vehicles, including motorcycles and mopeds, the classic source of booming bass heard blocks away. The test is simple and objective: if the sound carries clearly audible more than 50 feet from the vehicle, the operator is in violation, regardless of the exact decibel reading. Commercial vehicles broadcasting to advertise products for sale are carved out as an exception, along with noise from temporary permitted activities, city council-approved parades and public gatherings, alarm systems, safety and warning devices such as steam or compressed air whistles, and the official duties of police, fire and ambulance crews.

The rule sits in Division 1 of Chapter 20's noise article, adopted by Ordinance No. 05-397 in 2005 and carried into the 1987 Code at former section 31-1. Enforcement typically starts with an officer's on-the-spot audibility assessment at 50 feet from the vehicle; a sound level meter is not required to cite this particular section, unlike the residential noise limits in section 20-54. Anyone with a modified exhaust-and-stereo combination heard well down the block on Telegraph Road or Eureka Road can be stopped and cited under this section independent of any traffic violation.