Highlands County, FL Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

6-105(3) makes it a violation to operate any internal combustion engine, including one associated with a motor boat or motor vehicle, without a muffler or other device that is at least as effective as the manufacturer's original equipment at preventing loud or explosive noises. 6-105, this muffler requirement applies at any hour of the day, not just at night, because a defective or removed muffler is treated as inherently excessive noise. 6-105(1) separately restricts vehicle- or vessel-mounted sound systems, radios, stereos and amplifiers, making it a violation any time the sound is plainly audible 100 feet or more from the vehicle while operated on a waterway, public right-of-way or public property.

on or abutting residential property in a manner that crosses a residential property line. None of these provisions requires a sound level meter reading; a code enforcement officer or Sheriff's deputy can cite a missing or ineffective muffler, an audible vehicle stereo, or late-night vehicle repair work on direct observation alone under the plainly-audible and effectiveness standards written into the section.