Tempe, AZ Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Stereo audibility limit
- Heard from 50+ feet: unlawful
- Governing section
- City Code § 19-51 (stereo); § 20-9 (repair/operation)
- Repair/test noise curfew
- 10:00 p.m.–7:00 a.m., residential areas
- General penalty (§19-51)
- Up to $2,500 or 6 months
- Chapter 20 civil fine (§20-9)
- $100–$1,000
Summary
Tempe bars any vehicle sound system, from car stereos to musical instruments, that can be heard 50 feet outside the vehicle or that disturbs anyone nearby. A separate rule blocks late-night vehicle repair and testing noise between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. in residential areas.
Except as authorized by law, no person shall operate or permit the operation of any sound amplification system in or on a vehicle which: (1)Can be heard outside the vehicle from fifty (50) or more feet; or (2)Annoys or disturbs the quiet, comfort or repose of any person in the vicinity; unless the system is being operated to request assistance of an emergency nature or to warn of a hazardous situation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Code: Supplement 33 Update 4 | Zoning and Development Code: Supplement 11 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
General Code Sec. 19-51 makes it unlawful, except as authorized by law, to operate or permit operation of "any sound amplification system in or on a vehicle" that can be heard outside the vehicle from 50 or more feet, or that annoys or disturbs the quiet, comfort, or repose of anyone nearby, unless it's an emergency-assistance or hazard-warning use. Sec. 19-51(c) defines a sound amplification system broadly to include any radio, stereo, musical instrument, phonograph, or sound recorder or player, whether electrical or mechanical. Exemptions in Sec.
19-51(b) cover authorized emergency vehicles, utility and government vehicles, and vehicles used for advertising in a permitted parade or special event. Separately, Chapter 20's noise code addresses vehicle work and operation noise: Sec. in a manner causing discomfort or annoyance to a reasonable person of normal sensitiveness, and Sec. 20-9(b) separately bars operating a vehicle at any time, under any condition of grade, load, acceleration, or deceleration, in a way that causes that same discomfort or annoyance, with no time-of-day limit on that second prohibition.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 19-51 does not set its own fine, so a violation falls under the Code's general penalty, Sec. 1-7: a fine up to $2,500 and up to 6 months imprisonment where no specific penalty is stated, or a civil sanction up to $500 if the violation is designated civil. A Sec. 20-9 vehicle-noise violation instead falls under Chapter 20's civil schedule in Sec. 20-15, $100 to $1,000, with a $50 default penalty for a missed court date and habitual-offender escalation to a criminal misdemeanor after three violations in 24 months under Sec. 20-18.
Frequently Asked Questions
How loud can my car stereo legally be in Tempe?
Can I rebuild a car engine in my driveway at night in Tempe?
Is revving or accelerating a loud car ever illegal in Tempe outside those hours?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tempe
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