Tinley Park, IL Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Village Code § 70.11
- Muffler cut-outs
- Prohibited; baffle plates and screens must stay intact
- Max fine
- $500 per offense under § 70.99
- Racing/stunting
- Banned near hospitals, nursing homes, residential areas
- Enacted
- Ord. 2000-O-046, passed July 18, 2000
Summary
Tinley Park bans motor vehicles that create loud grinding, rattling or grating noise audible from nearby properties, and requires every vehicle to keep a working muffler and exhaust system. Muffler cut-outs, bypass pipes and altered baffle plates are illegal under Village Code § 70.11. Racing or stunting near hospitals, nursing homes and residential areas is also prohibited.
(A) It shall be unlawful for any person to use any motor driven vehicle in such a manner as to create a loud and unnecessary grating, grinding, rattling or other noise which is audible from nearby properties and unreasonably disturbing to the quiet, comfort or repose of other persons. (B) All motor driven vehicles must have a muffler and exhaust system that are in good working order and constant operation, and sufficient to prevent excessive or unusual noise or excessive smoke; and no such vehicle shall use a muffler cut-out, bypass, removable exhaust pipe cover, or any muffler from which the baffle plates, screens, or other original internal parts have been removed or altered.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-40: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ordinance 2026-O-007, passed 2-17-2026, Resolution 2018-R-077, passed 10-2-18, and State legislation current through 2010 Pamphlet No. 7).
Full Breakdown
11 targets motor vehicle noise directly, independent of state traffic law. Subsection (A) makes it unlawful to operate any motor driven vehicle so as to create loud, unnecessary grating, grinding or rattling noise that is audible from nearby properties and unreasonably disturbs the quiet, comfort or repose of others. Subsection (B) requires every vehicle to carry a muffler and exhaust system in good working order at all times; the code specifically forbids muffler cut-outs, bypass devices, removable exhaust pipe covers, and any muffler with removed or altered baffle plates or screens.
Subsections (C) and (D) extend the ban to any modification of a noise abatement device or exhaust system, or any failure to maintain one, that raises the noise or smoke above what the vehicle produced as originally manufactured. Subsection (E) sets numeric decibel thresholds that create a conclusive presumption of a violation when measured from the travel lane. Subsection (F) separately bars touring, stunting or racing in or near hospitals, nursing homes, or residential areas anywhere in the village. A violation is declared a nuisance under subsection (G), giving the village an added civil enforcement path beyond a straight citation.
The ordinance traces to Ord. 2000-O-046, passed July 18, 2000, and sits in the traffic title alongside the vehicle equipment rules the Tinley Park Police Department enforces on patrol.
Violations & Fines
A citation under § 70.11 carries the general title penalty of § 70.99: a fine of up to $500 per offense, since no separate penalty is listed for this section. Each day a vehicle keeps an illegal cut-out muffler or exceeds the decibel threshold is a separate violation, and the code independently labels a violation a public nuisance, which the village can pursue through nuisance abatement in addition to the fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a loud aftermarket exhaust illegal in Tinley Park?
What decibel level triggers a violation?
Can police ticket me for a loud car stereo under this section?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tinley Park
Compare Tinley Park to another location·View the Illinois noise ordinances overview
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