The City of Whittier prohibits loud or annoying vehicle noise - screeching tires, racing or accelerating engines, backfiring, and loud exhaust - not reasonably necessary to operation. Beyond the city ordinance, California Vehicle Code sections 27150 and 27151 govern mufflers and modified exhaust statewide, and Whittier's code defers to state law on preempted vehicle matters.
Whittier Municipal Code 8.32.040(C) ("Motor Vehicle Noises") declares unlawful any loud or annoying noise made by a motor vehicle that is not reasonably necessary to its operation, including noise from screeching tires, racing or accelerating the engine (except during nighttime repair or adjustment), backfiring, or exhaust emission from the tailpipe or muffler. WMC 8.32.040(B) ("Defect in Vehicle or Load") also prohibits operating a vehicle so out of repair or so loaded as to create loud, unnecessary grating, grinding, or rattling. WMC 8.32.040(F) restricts unnecessary or prolonged use of horns and signaling devices except as a danger warning. However, much vehicle exhaust and equipment noise is governed by state law, which Whittier's code recognizes: WMC 8.32.080(J) exempts activities preempted by state or federal law, and WMC 8.32.070 treats compliance with a state-law muffler as a defense. Statewide, California Vehicle Code 27150 requires an adequate, properly maintained muffler with no cutout or bypass, and CVC 27151 prohibits modifying an exhaust system to amplify or increase noise beyond the limits in the Vehicle Code. These state exhaust rules are enforced by police throughout Whittier alongside the city ordinance.
Vehicle-noise complaints may be cited under Whittier Municipal Code 8.32.040 (a public nuisance under WMC 8.32.150, punished per WMC 1.08.010) and/or under the California Vehicle Code (e.g., CVC 27150/27151) for muffler and modified-exhaust offenses, which carry their own state penalties and fix-it provisions.
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