Kenosha, WI Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Muffler modification
- banned if it raises noise above factory level
- Vehicle stereo disturbance distance
- audible at 50 feet from device
- Tire squealing, horn misuse, engine racing
- prohibited regardless of decibel reading
- In-cabin car radios
- excluded from regulation entirely
- Traffic-noise enforcement
- Chief of Police
- Governing sections
- City Code §§ 23.05.B.1.c, 23.13
Summary
Kenosha bars modifying a vehicle's exhaust or intake muffler to increase its noise above factory level, and separately prohibits tire squealing, unnecessary horn use and engine racing on city streets under City Code §§ 23.13.C and 23.13.E. A car stereo audible 50 feet from the vehicle on a public right-of-way also violates the noise-disturbance rule in § 23.05.B.1.c.
c.In such a manner as to create a noise disturbance at fifty (50) feet from such device, when operated in or on a motor vehicle on a public right-of-way or public space, or in a boat on public waters; ... C.Modification of Vehicular Equipment. No persons shall modify or change the exhaust muffler, intake muffler or any other noise abatement device of a vehicle in such a manner that the noise emitted by the vehicle is increased above that emitted by the vehicle as originally manufactured. ... E.Rules and Regulations Pertaining to the Control of Traffic Noises. The following practices and acts are prohibited regardless of decibel measurement.1.No vehicle shall be operated in such a manner as to produce loud and unnecessary squealing of tires.2.No vehicle shall sound its horn, bell, or other signaling device except as a danger of cautionary warning. Such warning shall only be sounded for a reasonable and necessary period of time.3.No person shall race the engine of a vehicle in such a manner as to produce unreasonably loud and unnecessary engine noises.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 11 Update 1 | Zoning Ordinance: Supplement 9).
Full Breakdown
A). Subsection C flatly prohibits modifying or changing a vehicle's exhaust muffler, intake muffler or any other noise abatement device in a way that increases the noise emitted above what the vehicle produced as originally manufactured, covering aftermarket exhaust and muffler-delete modifications. Subsection E lists additional prohibited practices regardless of decibel measurement: no vehicle may be operated to produce loud and unnecessary tire squealing; no horn, bell or signaling device may be sounded except as a danger or cautionary warning, and only for a reasonable, necessary period; and no person may race a vehicle's engine to produce unreasonably loud and unnecessary noise.
c, prohibits operating a radio, sound amplifier or similar device in or on a motor vehicle on a public right-of-way or public space (or a boat on public waters) in a manner that creates a noise disturbance audible at fifty feet, which is the operative rule for loud vehicle stereos. Standard automobile radios used and heard only by vehicle occupants are excluded from the "sound amplifying equipment" definition entirely and are not regulated. 03.
Violations & Fines
Violating the muffler-modification ban, the tire-squealing/horn/engine-racing prohibitions, or the 50-foot vehicle-stereo disturbance rule is enforced as a Chapter XXIII violation, with the Chief of Police or designated representatives responsible for traffic-noise enforcement under Section 23.13.D and the general penalty of Chapter IV, Ordinances, adopted by reference under Section 23.19.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get cited in Kenosha for a modified exhaust?
How loud can a car stereo be in Kenosha before it's a violation?
Is revving an engine or squealing tires illegal in Kenosha?
Who enforces Kenosha's vehicle noise rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kenosha
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