Somerville, MA Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Out-of-repair vehicle noise
- Banned any hour (Sec. 9-116(9))
- Horns
- Limited to genuine danger warnings
- Sirens
- Restricted to emergency vehicles only
- Modified/rebuilt exhaust noise
- Unlawful under Sec. 9-116(16)
- Fine
- $300 per offense (Sec. 1-11)
- Enforcement
- Police & Inspectional Services (Sec. 9-118)
Summary
Somerville's noise ordinance separately bans three vehicle-noise problems: out-of-repair vehicles that rattle or grind, horns sounded for anything but a genuine danger warning, and vehicles rebuilt or tested in a way that creates a disturbance. Sec. 9-116 makes each a distinct, fineable offense citywide, any hour of the day.
(9) Defect in vehicle or load. The use within the city of any wagon, cart, motor vehicle, truck, motorcycle, or other vehicle, so out of repair or loaded in such manner or with material of such nature as to create loud and unnecessary grating, grinding, rattling or other noises. ... (10) Horns and other signaling devices. The sounding of any horn or signaling device on any motor vehicle, motorcycle, or other vehicle on any street or public place of the city, except as a danger warning; the creation by means of any such signaling device of any unreasonably loud or harsh sound; the sounding of any such device for an unnecessary and unreasonable period of time...The use of sirens, except by authorized emergency vehicles, is prohibited. ... (16) Vehicle repairs and testing. Repairing, rebuilding, modifying, or testing any motor vehicle, motorcycle, or motorboat in such a manner as to cause a noise disturbance.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Zoning Ordinances: Revision - CodeBank PDF Post).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 9-116(9) targets vehicles themselves: a wagon, cart, motor vehicle, truck, or motorcycle that is so out of repair, or loaded with material of such a nature, that it creates loud grating, grinding, or rattling noise is a violation regardless of the hour or district. Sec. 9-116(10) governs horns and other signaling devices: sounding a horn except as a genuine danger warning is unlawful, as is any unreasonably loud or harsh signal, sounding a device for an unreasonable length of time, using a signaling device that is not hand- or electrically-operated, or using a horn, whistle, or similar device powered by engine exhaust.
Sounding a horn simply because traffic is backed up is expressly prohibited, and sirens are restricted to authorized emergency vehicles only. Sec. 9-116(16) reaches the repair and modification side of the problem: repairing, rebuilding, modifying, or testing a motor vehicle, motorcycle, or motorboat in a manner that causes a noise disturbance, covering aftermarket-exhaust and revving/testing scenarios on city streets. None of these three clauses carries its own numeric decibel threshold; each turns on whether the sound rises to a 'noise disturbance' as defined in Sec.
9-115 (sound that annoys, disturbs, injures, or endangers the comfort, repose, health, or peace of others in the city), and the enforcing officer, the chief of police, the superintendent of inspectional services, or their designees, makes that determination under Sec. 9-118.
Violations & Fines
Any of these vehicle-noise clauses is enforced as a noncriminal citation under G.L. c. 40, § 21D by the police department or the inspectional services department. Absent a subsection-specific fine, Sec. 1-11 sets the penalty at $300 per offense, with each day a defective muffler, grinding vehicle, or misused horn continues counted as a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get cited in Somerville for a loud aftermarket exhaust?
Is it illegal to honk my horn in traffic in Somerville?
What if my car is just old and rattles loudly?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Somerville
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Vehicle Noise in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle vehicle noise.