Mesa, AZ Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

Mesa City Code § 6-12-5 covers motor vehicles under two subsections. " Subsection (B) separately targets in-vehicle sound amplification systems: it's a violation to operate or permit operation of a sound system in or on a motor vehicle if it either unreasonably disturbs a reasonable person or is "plainly audible at a distance of fifty (50) feet from the vehicle from which the sound is emanating", an objective distance test that doesn't require proving subjective disturbance. This sits in Chapter 12, enacted by Ord. No.

5750 on December 1, 2022. Enforcement runs through Police Officers and Code Compliance Officers under § 6-12-9, who may stop or cite a vehicle for either the mechanical-noise standard in (A) or the 50-foot stereo standard in (B). Section 6-12-10 sets civil sanctions of $250-$1,500 for a first violation, $500-$2,500 for a second within 24 months, and $750-$2,500 for a third within 24 months, with each incident a separate offense. Section 6-12-11's habitual-offender rule converts a fourth violation within 12 months (after three prior findings) into a class 1 criminal misdemeanor prosecuted by the Mesa City Prosecutor, carrying up to six months in jail and a fine of at least $500 per count, capped at $2,500.