Austin, TX Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

Sec. 12-1-36(A), adopted by Ordinance No. 20260226-038 effective March 9, 2026, bars a person from intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence making "any loud or disturbing noise or vibration that is offensive to a person of ordinary sensibilities from the discharge into the open air of the exhaust from any motor vehicle," unless the exhaust runs through a muffler or similar device that effectively prevents the noise. Subsection (B) lists specific conduct that can cause a violation: missing or faulty equipment, a vehicle in disrepair, excessive acceleration or deceleration with no emergency need, rapid up- or down-shifting of manual or automatic transmission gears, and revving or racing the engine, whether the vehicle is moving or standing still.

The rule builds in a decibel-based presumption and a warning requirement that make it different from a simple noise ban. Under Sec. 12-1-36(C), noise is presumed loud, disturbing, and offensive once it exceeds 85 decibels, but only "after the person making the noise receives notice from a peace officer that the noise is a public nuisance." Subsection (D) directs officers to weigh the noise's intensity, whether it is usual or unusual, background noise levels, proximity to homes, time of day, duration, and whether it recurs. Subsection (E) makes the prior-notice requirement a hard limit on liability: a driver only commits an offense under this section after already having received notice from a peace officer that their vehicle's noise violates it, so a first-time loud exhaust cannot be cited without that warning first.