Shelby County Code Sec. 24-368 sets dB(A) limits for motor vehicles in the county, and Sec. 16-65 bans using any vehicle so as to cause loud, unnecessary noise. Passenger cars are capped at 78 dB(A) at 50 feet.
The county regulates vehicle noise two ways. Sec. 16-65 broadly prohibits using any vehicle in a manner that causes loud and unnecessary noise. Sec. 24-368 imposes measurable dB(A) ceilings using an ANSI-standard sound meter: passenger cars 78 dB(A) at 50 feet (84 at 25 feet); trucks/buses over 10,000 lbs 87/93; trucks/buses under 10,000 lbs 80/86; motorcycles, go-carts and trail bikes 87/93. It also bans mufflers, horns and train warning devices exceeding those levels, with exemptions for ambulances, fire, police, garbage and tree-removal vehicles on duty. The rules track Tennessee's motor-vehicle noise statute, T.C.A. § 55-8-193.
Exceeding the Sec. 24-368 dB(A) limits or causing loud, unnecessary vehicle noise under Sec. 16-65 is unlawful; Sec. 24-368 violations are prosecuted by traffic citation after an officer verifies the level with a sound meter.
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