Albany, OR Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Albany Municipal Code § 7.08.050(1)(a), (b), (f), (g), (h)
- Muffler
- Gasoline engine must have and use a muffler
- Muffler cutout
- Prohibited on any motor vehicle upon any street
- Horn
- Only as a necessary warning of danger
- Decibel limit
- None printed in the section
- Maximum misdemeanor penalty
- Fine up to $2,500 or up to one year
Summary
In the City of Albany, Oregon, AMC § 7.08.050 bars vehicle noise from loud grating, rattling or grinding, needless horn use, gasoline engines without a muffler, and muffler cutouts on any street. The section prints no decibel figure, so the test is the noise itself.
It is unlawful for any person to create, assist in creating, permit, continue, or permit the continuance of any loud, disturbing, or unnecessary noise in the City. ... (a) The use of any automobile, motorcycle, streetcar, or other vehicle, any engine, stationary or moving instrument, device, or thing so out of repair, so loaded, or operated in such manner as to create loud or unnecessary grating, grinding, rattling, or other noises; (b) The sounding of any horn or signal device on any automobile, motorcycle, streetcar, or other vehicle on any street or public place of the City, except as a necessary warning or danger to property or person; ... (g) The operation of any gasoline engine without having the same equipped with and using thereupon a muffler; (h) The use of “muffler cutout” on any motor vehicle upon any street;
Full Breakdown
Vehicle noise in the City of Albany, Oregon, is regulated inside the general unnecessary noise section, AMC § 7.08.050. Its opening sentence makes it unlawful to create, assist in creating, permit, continue, or permit the continuance of any loud, disturbing, or unnecessary noise in the City. Subsection (1) then lists acts declared to be violations, and the list is expressly not exclusive, with no warning needed unless a paragraph says otherwise.
Paragraph (a) reaches any automobile, motorcycle, streetcar, or other vehicle, and any engine, so out of repair, so loaded, or operated in such manner as to create loud or unnecessary grating, grinding, rattling, or other noises. Paragraph (b) bars sounding any horn or signal device on a street or public place of the City except as a necessary warning of danger to property or person. Paragraph (f) bars any gong or siren on a vehicle other than a police, fire, or other emergency vehicle.
The equipment rules are flat. Paragraph (g) prohibits operating any gasoline engine without a muffler installed and in use. Paragraph (h) prohibits the use of a muffler cutout on any motor vehicle upon any street. Neither paragraph turns on how loud the vehicle is, so a cutout or missing muffler is a violation on its own terms.
Car stereos are handled by the sound amplification paragraphs of the same section, (1)(i) and (m), which use a plainly audible test rather than decibel readings. The section prints no separate rule for engine brakes. The City Manager or designee can issue a permit for otherwise prohibited activity outside the specified time limits under subsection (2), but only where public health, safety, and welfare will not be impaired and there are compelling reasons.
Section 7.84.230 counts violations of AMC § 7.08.050 toward the crime of persistent violation when three or more occur within a six-month period inside an enhanced law enforcement area.
Violations & Fines
Section 7.08.050 prints no penalty of its own, so AMC § 1.04.010(1)(c) applies: an offense with no penalty provided is deemed a misdemeanor, with a fine of not more than $2,500 or imprisonment not to exceed one year, or both. Under § 1.04.020 the City Attorney declares whether the case proceeds as a violation, which carries a civil penalty of not more than $1,000. Each day, or portion of a day, is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a muffler required on vehicles in the City of Albany, Oregon?
When can I honk my horn in Albany?
Does Albany limit car stereo volume?
Can a vehicle be cited for rattling or grinding noise?
Who is allowed to use a siren on a vehicle in Albany?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Albany
Compare Albany to another location·View the Oregon noise ordinances overview
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