Dothan, AL Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Stereo audibility limit
- 5 feet from vehicle, 10 feet from pedestrian
- Muffler requirement
- All vehicles, at all times
- Horn rule
- No unnecessary or unreasonably loud horn use
- Enforcing agency
- Dothan Police Department
- First offense fine
- Up to $200.00
- Repeat offense
- Up to $500.00 and/or 6 months jail
Summary
The City of Dothan bans car stereos audible more than five feet from a vehicle and requires every motor vehicle to run on a working muffler. City Code Sec. 62-102 also outlaws unnecessary horn use and loud exhaust, and Sec. 62-103 requires cars and light delivery vehicles to operate as quietly as possible.
(1)Horns and signaling devices. The sounding of any horn or signaling device on any automobile, motorcycle, bus or other vehicle on any street or public place of the city except as a danger warning; ... b.It is hereby declared a nuisance and shall be unlawful to operate or play any radio, phonograph or similar device, whether from a motor vehicle or by a pedestrian, in such a manner as to be plainly audible to any person other than the player or operator of the device at a distance of five feet in the case of a motor vehicle or ten feet in the case of a pedestrian. ... (6)Exhausts. The discharge into the open air of the exhaust of any engine, stationary internal combustion engine or motor vehicle except through a muffler or other device which will effectively prevent loud or explosive noises therefrom. ... The requirements of sections 62-101 and 62-102 shall not be construed to prevent the operation of automobiles or light delivery vehicles at any time; provided, however, that such motor vehicles shall not have any attachment thereon for creating unnecessary noise, shall at all times be properly muffled and shall be so operated as to create the least possible noise or nuisance.
Full Breakdown
Dothan's noise ordinance, ch. 62, art. III, targets vehicle noise in several enumerated clauses of Sec. 62-102. Item (1) bars sounding a horn or signaling device on any street or public place except as a danger warning, including any unreasonably loud, harsh, or unnecessarily prolonged blast. Item (2)b. declares it a nuisance to play a radio, phonograph, or similar device from a motor vehicle so it is plainly audible to another person at a distance of five feet, or ten feet if the source is a pedestrian rather than a vehicle.
Item (6) covers exhaust, banning the discharge of engine exhaust into the open air except through a muffler or device that effectively prevents loud or explosive noise. Sec. 62-103 then reinforces the muffler rule specifically for automobiles and light delivery vehicles: they may operate at any time of day, but only if they carry no noise-creating attachment, are properly muffled at all times, and are driven so as to create the least possible noise or nuisance. Together these sections give the Dothan Police Department authority to stop a modified exhaust or a stereo blaring past a car's open windows anywhere in the city or its police jurisdiction, not just in residential areas.
Violations & Fines
Under Sec. 62-105, a first violation of the horn, stereo, or exhaust rules draws a citation with a fine up to $200.00, which the police department can issue without arrest. Subsequent or repeated violations expose the driver to arrest and a fine up to $500.00 and/or up to six months in the Dothan municipal jail, with each violation treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far can my car stereo be heard legally in Dothan?
Is a loud aftermarket exhaust illegal in Dothan?
Can Dothan police ticket me for honking unnecessarily?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dothan
Compare Dothan to another location·View the Alabama noise ordinances overview
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