Medina, OH Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

Section 331.36 of the Medina Codified Ordinances, part of the city's Traffic Code, prohibits two related noise behaviors in a single subsection. First, no person may unnecessarily race the motor of any vehicle. Second, no person may accelerate a vehicle from a stop so rapidly, except in an emergency, that the exhaust system emits a loud, cracking or chattering noise unusual to normal operation, or that the tires squeal or leave marks on the roadway, the conduct the ordinance labels peeling. The rule applies on any street within the city and is enforced by the Medina Police Department as part of general traffic enforcement rather than through a separate noise-control unit.

Penalties escalate with repeat conduct. A first violation is a minor misdemeanor, which under the Traffic Code's general penalty section, 303.99, carries no jail time and a fine capped at $150. A second offense within one year of the first becomes a misdemeanor of the fourth degree, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $250 fine. Every subsequent offense within that same one-year window is a misdemeanor of the third degree, carrying up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. Because the escalation clock runs from the date of the first offense, a driver cited twice in quick succession faces the higher tier even before a full year has passed since the original citation.

Racing and peeling sit in Chapter 331, Operation of Motor Vehicles, rather than the vehicle-equipment chapter that regulates mufflers, so it targets driving behavior, not equipment condition. Officers can cite the section on the strength of the noise and tire marks alone; no decibel meter or equipment inspection is required to establish the violation.