Noise Laws...etc
09-26-2008, 07:08 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Wayne, NJ
Posts: 4,837
Hey,
So in the past 2 years I've owned and driven 2 7's that you could call "noisy" (ported full exhaust bla bla)
So I'm currently driving my FD. Basically about a year ago a neighbor left a note on my car saying i need to fix my "illegal noisy muffler" and that im waking them up (i leave at 7:40ish am) and how if i dont do it I'll receive citations or whatever basically they'll call the cops.
Today I got my second letter, as follows:
"Dear Neighbor,
Could you please fix your noisy illegal muffler! This is our second request and we do not want to cause you any problems. Thank You"
Now I agree my car is loud, i dont argue that but I don't leave till 7:40ish, i come home at 5-6pm and after that my car rarely gets turned back on. I don't fly up and down the street, i roll down the hill in the morning only hitting the gas to get the car moving.
I'm pretty confident in my knowledge of the laws and I am pretty sure that all that would be done about a registered complaint is possibly a cop rolling around at around the time I leave who'll pull me over and wind up giving me a "noisy exhaust" ticket ($44, whatever i've learned to deal with that if i didnt i wouldnt own any 7's)
However, I would like to know if there are any more strict policies I may not be clear about. I'm pretty sure I don't have to deal with an on-the-spot inspection emissions wise nor visual, I'm also pretty sure they can't tow my car for a noisy exhaust.
Does anyone here know any different? Could they do a "sting" vehicle inspection? My route to work would avoid all possible roadside inspections as i travel like 2 miles maybe to work.
Basically I don't want to get my car towed or get stuck in an inspection debacle (emis*wink*sions). So i prefer to be aware of what i *COULD* be facing.
Altho it won't matter soon, the FD goes away for winter and by the time it comes back out it'll be registered as a "collectors" vehicle (i turn 25 finally and will be elligible for collectors car insurance) and I won't be subject to this harassment.
Thanks,
Kevin.
So in the past 2 years I've owned and driven 2 7's that you could call "noisy" (ported full exhaust bla bla)
So I'm currently driving my FD. Basically about a year ago a neighbor left a note on my car saying i need to fix my "illegal noisy muffler" and that im waking them up (i leave at 7:40ish am) and how if i dont do it I'll receive citations or whatever basically they'll call the cops.
Today I got my second letter, as follows:
"Dear Neighbor,
Could you please fix your noisy illegal muffler! This is our second request and we do not want to cause you any problems. Thank You"
Now I agree my car is loud, i dont argue that but I don't leave till 7:40ish, i come home at 5-6pm and after that my car rarely gets turned back on. I don't fly up and down the street, i roll down the hill in the morning only hitting the gas to get the car moving.
I'm pretty confident in my knowledge of the laws and I am pretty sure that all that would be done about a registered complaint is possibly a cop rolling around at around the time I leave who'll pull me over and wind up giving me a "noisy exhaust" ticket ($44, whatever i've learned to deal with that if i didnt i wouldnt own any 7's)
However, I would like to know if there are any more strict policies I may not be clear about. I'm pretty sure I don't have to deal with an on-the-spot inspection emissions wise nor visual, I'm also pretty sure they can't tow my car for a noisy exhaust.
Does anyone here know any different? Could they do a "sting" vehicle inspection? My route to work would avoid all possible roadside inspections as i travel like 2 miles maybe to work.
Basically I don't want to get my car towed or get stuck in an inspection debacle (emis*wink*sions). So i prefer to be aware of what i *COULD* be facing.
Altho it won't matter soon, the FD goes away for winter and by the time it comes back out it'll be registered as a "collectors" vehicle (i turn 25 finally and will be elligible for collectors car insurance) and I won't be subject to this harassment.
Thanks,
Kevin.
09-26-2008, 07:24 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2002
Location: California
Posts: 22,465
two points of view.
1. the cops can give you a ticket for whatever they want. i guess they could tow it, but i think thats pretty remote; youd have to **** them off really good
2. legally, i think they have to test the car to see if its within the DB limits. i forget what the DB limit is, but there is some testing they do, basically they have to prove the car is over the legal limit. they ended up doing this cause in the 90's you put a muffler on a honda and you got a fix it ticket, even though the muffler comes with paperwork that its legal.
1. the cops can give you a ticket for whatever they want. i guess they could tow it, but i think thats pretty remote; youd have to **** them off really good
2. legally, i think they have to test the car to see if its within the DB limits. i forget what the DB limit is, but there is some testing they do, basically they have to prove the car is over the legal limit. they ended up doing this cause in the 90's you put a muffler on a honda and you got a fix it ticket, even though the muffler comes with paperwork that its legal.
09-27-2008, 01:34 AM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Phoenix, AZ.
Posts: 579
Read this:
NJ State laws
Doesn't say anything about DB's, just that it has to be in good working order.
Never heard of towing a vehicle for a loud muffler.
NJ State laws
Doesn't say anything about DB's, just that it has to be in good working order.
Never heard of towing a vehicle for a loud muffler.
09-27-2008, 09:21 AM
#6
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Wayne, NJ
Posts: 4,837
yea our noise ordinance is 11pm-6am, but you can get noisy exhaust at all times, law is 95db here not sure of distance, prolly like 15ft. i've gotten a few got out of them with y silencer, altho the last one i just paid cause i hate court. i have a dB meter i should measure it lol.
wish i could find the ticket i got so i could look up the specific ordinance.
kevin
wish i could find the ticket i got so i could look up the specific ordinance.
kevin
09-27-2008, 09:36 AM
#8
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Wayne, NJ
Posts: 4,837
that would help if i HAD the ticket, i havent gotten a noise ticket in a while so i dont know where my old ones are too double check the ordinance number they claim.
If they're gonna stick me with an "excessive or unusual" noise then i'll fight wayne about vague-ness. Get a group of professional looking people to all say they dont believe it sounds excessive. then it'll be all of us vs. the cop to the definition of excessive. If they're going to be vague I can find a way to keep myself clear easily, I don't have a full-time lawyer for nothing lol.
kevin.
If they're gonna stick me with an "excessive or unusual" noise then i'll fight wayne about vague-ness. Get a group of professional looking people to all say they dont believe it sounds excessive. then it'll be all of us vs. the cop to the definition of excessive. If they're going to be vague I can find a way to keep myself clear easily, I don't have a full-time lawyer for nothing lol.
kevin.
