Vista, CA Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

Several sections of the County's noise ordinance address vehicles. Section 36.414(c)(8) makes it unlawful to knowingly use a motor vehicle to produce noise annoying a person of normal sensitivity by backfiring the engine, screeching tires, operating without a muffler, or altering the muffler. Section 36.405 separately bars repairing, rebuilding, or testing any motor vehicle in a way that causes 'disturbing, excessive or offensive noise.' Section 36.414(c)(1) prohibits unnecessary use of a vehicle horn or signaling device beyond what the Vehicle Code allows. For off-highway use, Section 36.416 limits off-road recreational vehicles (motorcycles, go-carts, dune buggies, ATVs, etc.) operated on private property to maximum sound levels measured at the property line or any occupied receiving property: 82 dBA between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., 77 dBA between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., and 55 dBA between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Note that on-road vehicle noise standards (e.g., exhaust and muffler equipment requirements) are primarily set by the California Vehicle Code and enforced by law enforcement statewide; the County ordinance supplements those rules for nuisance-type and off-road situations. Section 36.415 also requires motor-vehicle alarms to have an automatic cutoff that silences the alarm within 15 minutes.