Suffolk County, NY Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Penalty
- Up to $500 fine, 1 year jail
- Where it applies
- County highways & County property only
- Nighttime limit
- 50 dBA, 10 p.m.-7 a.m.
- Daytime residential limit
- 65 dBA, 7 a.m.-10 p.m.
- Offense class
- Unclassified misdemeanor
Summary
Playing a car radio, stereo or amplifier loud enough to create a noise disturbance on any Suffolk County highway, county-owned property, or county bus is a criminal offense punishable by up to a year in jail.
No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit the operation or playing of any noise device or apparatus on any County highway or within the limits of the right-of-way of such highway, in whatever capacity or for whatever purpose, or upon any parcel of real estate owned by the County of Suffolk or upon buses owned, leased or operated by the County of Suffolk in such a manner as to create a noise disturbance.
§ 618-4. Restrictions. No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit the operation of any source of sound on any County highway or within the limits of the right-of-way of such highway or upon any parcel of real estate owned by the County of Suffolk or upon buses owned, leased or operated by the County of Suffolk in such a manner as to create a sound level that exceeds the particular sound level limits set forth in Table I of this section, when measured at or within the real property line of the County-owned property, except those acts specifically prohibited in § 618-3 of this chapter for which no measurement of sound is required. Table I Maximum Permissible A-Weighted Sound Pressure Levels by Receiving Property Category, in dBA Receiving Property Category Sound Source Property Category Residential, 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Residential, 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Commercial, all times Industrial, all times
Full Breakdown
Suffolk County Code Ch. 618 bars operating or playing any "noise device or apparatus", defined to include car radios, amplifiers and similar sound equipment, on a County highway or its right-of-way, on County-owned real estate, or on County buses in a manner that creates a "noise disturbance." A companion section (§ 618-4) sets numeric sound-pressure limits by Table I: 65 dBA on residential-adjacent property from 7 a.m.-10 p.m., dropping to 50 dBA overnight, and 65-70 dBA near commercial/industrial property, measured at the real property line. The chapter reaches County highways and County property specifically, not every local street.
Violations & Fines
An intentional violation of § 618-3 or § 618-4 is an unclassified misdemeanor: a fine of up to $500 and/or up to one year in jail. Each violation is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this cover every street in my town?
What counts as a "noise device"?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Suffolk County
New York rules heatmap·Compare Suffolk County to another location·View the New York noise ordinances overview
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