Warrick County, IN Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

Section 158.04, adopted by the Board of Commissioners under Ordinance 2023-14 on July 24, 2023, covers three separate vehicle-noise problems in unincorporated Warrick County. Under § 158.04(B), it is unlawful for a motor vehicle's noise to be 'plainly audible or distract any person at a distance of not less than 20 feet from the edge of the lane being traveled.' Section 158.04(C) separately bars operating a vehicle that 'causes excessive noise as a result of a defective or modified rapid acceleration, de-acceleration, engine revving, or tire squealing,' which reaches straight-piped or otherwise modified exhaust systems, defined in § 158.04(A) as any exhaust system where the original noise abatement device 'has been removed, altered, or replaced to produce more noise.' Section 158.04(D) separately targets car audio: it bars playing a device located on or within a vehicle at a level 'plainly audible or distract any person at a distance greater than 20 feet from said motor vehicle,' with DEVICE defined broadly to include any radio, tape player, CD player, or stereo system.

Unlike the rest of Chapter 158, vehicle noise carries its own escalating fine schedule under § 158.99(A): a first violation within a 12-month period draws a fine of not less than $300, and each subsequent violation in that same 12-month period draws a fine of not less than $1,000 but not more than $2,500, with each day counted as a separate violation. The Warrick County Sheriff's Office enforces the section under § 158.07, filing citations in Warrick Superior Court, County Division.