Cleveland, OH Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 437.20(a)-(d)
- Cutouts/bypass devices
- Flatly prohibited
- Muffler standard
- Adequate, maintained, noise-reducing
- Motorcycles
- Compound muffler required
- Penalty
- Minor misdemeanor, § 437.99
Summary
Cleveland bans muffler cutouts, bypass devices, and any exhaust modification that makes a vehicle louder than its factory setup. Every motor vehicle needs a maintained, adequate muffler; motorcycles need a compound muffler. Violations are a minor misdemeanor under Chapter 437's general penalty section.
No person shall own, operate or have in his or her possession any motor vehicle with an internal combustion engine which is not equipped with an adequate muffler or a motorcycle which is not equipped with a compound muffler, in constant operation and properly maintained to prevent any excessive or unusual noise or sound, and no muffler or exhaust system shall be equipped with a cutout, by-pass or similar device. No person shall modify the exhaust system of a motor vehicle in a manner which will amplify or increase the noise or sound emitted by the motor of the vehicle in excess of that emitted by the muffler originally installed on the vehicle, and the original muffler shall comply with all of the requirements of this section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-28: Current through legislation passed September 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
20 governs vehicle exhaust noise citywide. 20(c), no one may own, operate, or possess a motor vehicle with an internal combustion engine unless it carries an adequate muffler kept in constant operation and properly maintained "to prevent any excessive or unusual noise or sound," and motorcycles must run a compound muffler under the same standard. 20(d) defines "muffler" as a chamber or baffle-plate device that actually reduces noise, and requires exhaust pipes to run parallel to the ground and vehicle, or vertically without directing exhaust toward the vehicle's side. 99, applies: a violation of any Chapter 437 provision without its own stated penalty is a minor misdemeanor.
Violations & Fines
A modified, missing, or cutout muffler is a minor misdemeanor under § 437.99, cited by Cleveland Police during a traffic stop. Each vehicle found with a straight-pipe, cutout, bypass, or amplifying exhaust modification is a separate chargeable violation of § 437.20(c), regardless of whether the vehicle also exceeds the decibel limit in § 437.20(e).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a cutout or bypass exhaust on my car in Cleveland?
Does an aftermarket exhaust automatically violate Cleveland's code?
What happens if my muffler is missing or broken?
Does the muffler law apply to motorcycles differently?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cleveland
Compare Cleveland to another location·View the Ohio noise ordinances overview
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Vehicle Noise in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Cuyahoga County handle vehicle noise.