Puyallup, WA Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Muffler required
- Good working order at all times
- Tire noise
- Squealing from acceleration/cornering banned
- Emergency exception
- Braking to avoid danger exempted
- Enforcement
- Traffic infraction under Ch. 46.37 RCW
- Idling limit
- 30 min/hour near homes, 10pm-8am
Summary
Puyallup requires every motor vehicle on public highways to carry a working exhaust system and muffler that prevents excessive noise, and bans deliberately squealing tires from rapid acceleration or hard cornering. Puyallup Municipal Code Chapter 10.58 sets these standards, and any violation is a traffic infraction enforced the same way state vehicle-equipment violations are enforced.
Every motor vehicle operated upon the public highways shall at all times be equipped with an exhaust system and a muffler in good working order and constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise. ... No person shall operate a motor vehicle in such a manner as to cause or allow to be emitted squealing, screeching, or other such noise from the tires in contact with the ground because of rapid acceleration or excessive speed around corners or other such reason, except that noise resulting from emergency braking to avoid imminent danger shall be accepted from this provision. ... Violation of any in-use motor vehicle noise standard set forth in this chapter shall be an infraction, enforced by the city in such manner as violations of Chapter 46.37 RCW.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4985225; v6 updated 2026-07-21; through 07-21-2026).
Full Breakdown
030 requires every motor vehicle operated on the city's public highways to carry an exhaust system and muffler 'in good working order and constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise' at all times. 040 separately bans deliberately caused tire noise: no one may operate a vehicle so as to cause squealing or screeching tires from rapid acceleration or excessive cornering speed, though the code carves out an exception for noise from emergency braking used to avoid imminent danger. m. 010, ties enforcement to sound-level meters conforming to American National Standards Institute Type 1 or 2 specifications and testing procedures under Chapter 204-56 WAC.
070 exempts noise from highway-maintenance auxiliary equipment and from emergency work performed for public safety or to restore property after a calamity. 37 RCW, Washington's vehicle equipment code. Puyallup police issue the citations; there is no separate municipal noise-permit process for vehicle owners, and the standards apply on any public highway inside city limits, not on Puyallup Tribe reservation land or on Pierce County roads outside the city.
Violations & Fines
A violation of any in-use motor vehicle noise standard under Chapter 10.58 is charged as a traffic infraction, handled the way Chapter 46.37 RCW vehicle-equipment violations are handled in Puyallup Municipal Court. There is no separate criminal muffler charge: officers cite under this chapter for a defective or removed muffler, or for tires squealed from rapid acceleration or cornering, unless the noise came from emergency braking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a ticket for a loud exhaust in Puyallup?
Is peeling out or squealing tires illegal in Puyallup?
Can I idle a work truck outside a house at night in Puyallup?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Puyallup
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Vehicle Noise in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle vehicle noise.