Deerfield Beach, FL Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

Sec. 34-35(1) singles out vehicle and motorboat audio equipment: radios, cassette players, and disk players tied to a motor vehicle or motorboat cannot be operated so as to be plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet or more when the vehicle is on a public right-of-way or public space, a rule that applies at any hour, not just the nighttime window that governs household loudspeakers.

Sec. 34-35(3) separately bans operating any internal combustion engine, whether in a car, truck, or motorboat, without a muffler or equivalent device at least as effective as that installed as original equipment by the manufacturer that prevents loud or explosive noise. Modified exhaust systems that remove or bypass that factory-level sound reduction violate this subsection regardless of decibel level. Sec. 34-35(4) then targets vehicle repair itself: repairing, rebuilding, modifying, or testing a motor vehicle, off-road vehicle, or motorboat within or next to a residential land use designation is barred if it creates noise crossing a property line between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., covering driveway repair work and backyard motor testing alike. An officer measures plainly audible the way Sec. 34-34 sets out: by ordinary unaided hearing, with a direct line of sight to the vehicle, and the officer need not identify the specific song or words, only a rhythmic bass reverberating type sound.