Memphis, TN Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Muffler standard
- Good working order, constant operation: no numeric limit
- Muffler cutouts
- Banned outright under Sec. 11-32-16
- Horn audibility
- Must be heard from at least 200 feet
- Sirens/whistles
- Reserved for police, fire and emergency vehicles
- State authority
- T.C.A. § 55-9-202
Summary
Memphis Code § 11-32-15 requires every motor vehicle on city streets to run a muffler "in good working order and in constant operation" to cut excessive noise, smoke and gas; § 11-32-16 separately bans muffler cutouts outright. A companion horn rule in § 11-32-17 forbids sirens, unauthorized whistles and any unnecessarily loud horn blast.
Sec. 11-32-15. Muffler required. No person shall drive a motor vehicle on a street unless such motor vehicle is equipped with a muffler in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise, annoying smoke and the escape of excessive gas, steam or oil. ... Sec. 11-32-16. Muffler cutout prohibited. It is unlawful to use a muffler cutout on any motor vehicle upon a street.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 32 | Charter: Supplement 4).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 11-32, Vehicle Equipment, of the Memphis Code carries three back-to-back sections that police street noise from cars, trucks and modified exhausts. Sec. 11-32-15, unchanged since Code 1967 § 23-116, makes it unlawful to drive without a muffler "in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise, annoying smoke and the escape of excessive gas, steam or oil": the standard reaches smoke and gas leaks as well as sound. Sec. § 55-9-202. Sec. 11-32-17 covers the horn and siren side of vehicle noise: every street-legal vehicle must carry a working horn audible from at least 200 feet, and it is unlawful to equip a private vehicle with a siren, exhaust whistle, compression whistle or spark-plug whistle, or to sound a horn other than as a reasonable warning, or to make any "unnecessary or unreasonably loud or harsh sound" with a horn or other warning device.
Only police, fire, fire-patrol and public-service-company emergency vehicles may carry an approved bell, siren or exhaust whistle. Because these sections sit in the vehicle-equipment chapter rather than a general noise ordinance, they are enforced by traffic officers as equipment violations rather than through code enforcement's decibel-based nuisance process, and a defective or modified exhaust can be cited on sight without a meter reading.
Violations & Fines
Driving without a working muffler, running a muffler cutout, or blasting an unauthorized horn or siren is a traffic offense under Chapter 11-32 and, absent a separate forfeiture listed for these sections, is punishable as a misdemeanor under the general penalty provision, Sec. 1-24-1. A police officer can cite a vehicle on sight for excessive exhaust noise or an illegal cutout without needing a decibel measurement, since the standard is equipment condition, not a numeric sound limit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a loud aftermarket exhaust illegal in Memphis?
Can I put a siren on my personal vehicle in Memphis?
How loud can I legally honk in Memphis?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Memphis
Compare Memphis to another location·View the Tennessee noise ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.