North Las Vegas, NV Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Horn rule
- Unlawful except as genuine danger signal (§ 8.28.020.A)
- Muffler rule
- Exhaust must run through an effective muffler (§ 8.28.020.G)
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000 fine or 6 months jail
- Enforcing agency
- North Las Vegas Police, on-street citations
- Related section
- § 8.28.020.E bans loud, ill-repaired vehicles
Summary
North Las Vegas bans unnecessary horn honking and un-muffled vehicle noise under Municipal Code § 8.28.020. Subsection A outlaws sounding a car, truck, motorcycle or bus horn except as a genuine danger signal, and subsection G requires every engine, from motor vehicles to dirt bikes, to run through a muffler that prevents loud or explosive exhaust noise. Both are misdemeanors under § 8.28.040.
A.The sounding of any horn or signal device on any automobile, van, truck, motorcycle, dirt bike or bus while in motion, except as a danger signal if another vehicle is approaching apparently out of control, or if in motion only as a danger signal after or as brakes are being applied and deceleration of the vehicle is intended; the creation by means of any such signal device or any unreasonably loud or harsh sound; and the sounding of such device for an unnecessary and unreasonable period of time; ... G.To discharge into the open air the exhaust of any steam engine, stationary internal combustion engine, motor vehicle, dirt bike or motor boat engine except through a muffler or other device which will effectively prevent loud or explosive noises therefrom;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 146 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
28's list of prohibited noise sources treats vehicle horns and exhaust separately. Subsection A makes it unlawful to sound "any horn or signal device on any automobile, van, truck, motorcycle, dirt bike or bus while in motion," with narrow carve-outs only for a genuine collision-danger warning or a signal tied to braking; any horn use beyond that, including "the sounding of such device for an unnecessary and unreasonable period of time", is a violation. " Together the two subsections reach the two most common vehicle-noise complaints, horn misuse and straight-piped or modified exhaust, without a decibel meter test; the standard is whether the vehicle is running without an effective muffler or the horn is sounded outside a genuine safety use. 70.
Violations & Fines
A horn or muffler violation is a misdemeanor under § 8.28.040: a fine up to $1,000.00, up to six months in the City jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation counted as a separate offense. Police issue these citations on the street rather than through the Code Enforcement Division's civil-fine schedule used for property maintenance violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to have a loud aftermarket exhaust in North Las Vegas?
When is honking a car horn actually legal?
Who enforces the vehicle-noise rules: police or code enforcement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in North Las Vegas
Compare North Las Vegas to another location·View the Nevada noise ordinances overview
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Vehicle Noise in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Clark County handle vehicle noise.