Michigan law requires every motor vehicle, including motorcycles and mopeds, to have a working muffler that prevents excessive or unusual noise, and bans muffler cutouts and bypasses. This statute (MCL 257.707) applies statewide across all of Kent County.
Vehicle noise in Kent County is governed primarily by state statute, not the county. MCL 257.707 mandates a muffler in good working order and constant operation and forbids removing muffler baffles or using a cutout, bypass, or similar device. Kent County has no separate motor-vehicle noise ordinance; enforcement is by the Michigan State Police and local police under the Vehicle Code. Grand Rapids layers on its own limits, including Sec. 9.63(6) barring horn use except as a danger warning and Sec. 9.70 limiting vehicle sound systems audible at 50 feet by day or 25 feet at night.
A muffler or exhaust violation under MCL 257.707 is a civil infraction under the Michigan Vehicle Code, ticketed by state or local police. Grand Rapids vehicle sound-system violations (Sec. 9.70) carry a fine of $50 to $100.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Grand Rapids, MI
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Kent County.
See how Grand Rapids's vehicle noise rules stack up against other locations.
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