Westfield, IN Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

Sec. 34-51 of the Westfield City Code folds vehicle exhaust noise into its general sound-equipment ban, providing that no person shall "not operate any motor vehicle that contains a modified or defective exhaust system" if the vehicle is located on public or private property and the noise it generates crosses the section's audibility or decibel test. On public property, including a street, right-of-way, sidewalk, park or thoroughfare, the standard is violated when the sound is "clearly audible 40 feet or more from its source, or is at a level of 90 decibels or more when measured from a distance of not less than six feet from its source." On private property, the same 40-foot audibility or 90-decibel measurement applies at the private property line instead of at the source, so a modified exhaust idling in a driveway is judged by what a neighbor hears at the boundary.

The vehicle-exhaust clause is not limited to any single street or zone; it applies anywhere within Westfield that the vehicle sits, public or private. Sec. 34-53 fines a first violation up to $250.00, rising to $500.00 for a second offense, $1,000.00 for a third, and up to $2,500.00 for a fourth or subsequent offense within two years, and Sec. 34-54 allows the city to pursue injunctive relief and recover its attorney fees for a continuing violation, with each additional day treated as a separate offense.