Lyon County, NV Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Lyon County Code § 8.06.05
- Muffler rule
- Good, properly attached muffler required
- Modification rule
- Cannot amplify noise above original muffler level
- Diesel pipe rule
- Must terminate above cab or body
- Enforcing agency
- Lyon County Sheriff's Office
- Origin
- 1973 Code §§ 11.40.050, 11.40.060
Summary
Lyon County Code § 8.06.05 requires every motor vehicle operated in unincorporated Lyon County, Nevada to run a good, properly attached muffler and bars modifying an exhaust system to amplify or increase the noise a vehicle emits above the original muffler's level. The rule also routes diesel exhaust pipes above the cab or body, and the Lyon County Sheriff's Office enforces all three requirements.
A. General Requirements: ... No person shall ride, drive or propel, or cause or permit to be ridden, driven or propelled, any motor vehicle in, upon or along any street or highway nor operate, or cause or permit to be operated, the motor in any such vehicle in any street or other public place if such motor vehicle or the motor in such vehicle is not provided with a good and sufficient muffler properly attached thereto or if the exhaust from the motor in such vehicle is ejected otherwise than through such muffler or if the exhaust is ejected toward the surface of the street or ground. (1973 Code §11.40.050) B. Modified Exhaust Systems: No person shall modify the exhaust system of a motor vehicle in a manner which will amplify or increase the noise emitted by the motor of such vehicle above that emitted by the muffler originally installed on the vehicle. ... (1973 Code §11.40.060)
Full Breakdown
Lyon County Code § 8.06.05.A bars operating a motor vehicle, or running its motor in any street or public place, unless it carries a good and sufficient muffler properly attached, and unless the exhaust is ejected through that muffler rather than directly toward the street or ground. Subsection B targets the aftermarket modification problem directly: no person may modify a vehicle's exhaust system in a way that amplifies or increases the noise the motor emits above what the muffler originally installed on the vehicle produced, and the replacement muffler must meet all of the original equipment's requirements.
Subsection C adds a diesel-specific rule: a diesel-powered vehicle's exhaust pipe must terminate above the top of the cab or body, whichever is higher, though the same subsection exempts diesel-powered automobiles, new diesel pickups and vehicles converted from gasoline to diesel from that routing requirement. Because the modified-exhaust rule in subsection B measures against the muffler 'originally installed,' the Lyon County Sheriff's Office can cite a straight-pipe or aftermarket performance exhaust that runs louder than the factory unit without a decibel meter, since the comparison point is the vehicle's own stock baseline rather than a fixed noise limit. The rule traces to the 1973 Code §§ 11.40.050 and 11.40.060.
Violations & Fines
Operating a vehicle without a properly attached, functioning muffler, or with an exhaust modified to run louder than the original equipment, violates § 8.06.05.A or .B and is a misdemeanor under the county's general penalty, Lyon County Code § 1.04.01. A diesel vehicle with an exhaust pipe that does not terminate above the cab or body, outside the automobile and new-pickup exemption in § 8.06.05.C, is a separate citable violation, and the Lyon County Sheriff's Office can stop and cite a vehicle for any of the three on sight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to install a loud aftermarket exhaust on my truck in Lyon County?
Does Lyon County set a decibel limit for vehicle exhaust?
Where must a diesel truck's exhaust pipe point in unincorporated Lyon County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lyon County
Compare Lyon County to another location·View the Nevada noise ordinances overview
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