Erie, PA Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

Vehicle noise in Erie is regulated by both city ordinance and state statute. Article 736 (Recreational Motor Vehicles) of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Erie provides that no person shall use a muffler cutout, bypass, straight pipe or similar device on a recreational motor vehicle, that the exhaust system shall not emit or produce a sharp popping or cracking sound, and that standard mufflers shall be properly attached and in constant operation to reduce the noise of operation to the minimum necessary. Whoever violates Section 736.02 or 736.03 shall be fined not more than $300 and/or imprisoned for not more than 90 days for each offense, and a separate offense is deemed committed on each day a violation continues. For ordinary motor vehicles operated on highways, Pennsylvania state law controls: 75 Pa.C.S. Section 4523 requires every motor vehicle to be equipped with a muffler or other effective noise-suppressing system in good working order and in constant operation, prohibits any cutout, bypass or similar device, and bars modifying the exhaust system in a manner that will amplify or increase the noise emitted by the vehicle. Loud car stereos audible 50 feet away in a public area are separately citable under Erie's disorderly conduct ordinance (Article 705).