Chino Hills, CA Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

The City of Chino Hills' Title 10 (Vehicles and Traffic) addresses parking, weight limits, abandoned vehicles, speed limits, and similar topics, but it does not contain a local muffler or moving-vehicle exhaust-noise ordinance. Under California Vehicle Code Section 21, the Vehicle Code is uniform statewide and local authorities generally cannot enact their own in-use vehicle noise rules, so moving-vehicle and exhaust noise on public roads is controlled by state law rather than a Chino Hills ordinance. California Vehicle Code Section 27150 requires every motor vehicle with an internal combustion engine subject to registration to be equipped at all times with an adequate muffler in constant operation and properly maintained to prevent excessive or unusual noise, and prohibits any cutout, bypass, or similar device. Section 27151 prohibits modifying an exhaust system in a manner that amplifies or increases noise beyond the limits of Section 27150 or the noise limits in Article 2.5 (Section 27200 et seq.). Statewide in-use roadway noise limits appear in Vehicle Code Sections 23130 and 23130.5. By contrast, a stationary vehicle's noise (for example a car stereo or idling at a residence) can fall under the city's own Section 16.48.020 plainly-audible-at-25-feet rule. Enforcement of CVC muffler/exhaust rules is by law enforcement (the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department provides police services to Chino Hills).