Connecticut Muffler/Noise Law

Don · #1 (**permalink**) 06-03-2003, 03:50 PM

From the June 3rd edition of the Manchester CT Journal Inquirer:

" A proposal that increases, from $35 to $150, the fine for having a muffler system that causes excessive noise. also passed unanimously in the Senate. The measure would change the classification from an infraction to an offense requiring the violator to appear in court. That measure too heads for the Governor "

Only reference available, no mention in the article of a maximum db level or what the determination would be of excessive noise.

xcobraj · #2 (**permalink**) 06-03-2003, 06:56 PM

If we meet at the state capital to rally,we might be drowned out by alot of p***ed off harley people

JWheaton · #3 (**permalink**) 06-03-2003, 07:58 PM

Connecticut really blows sometimes!

CSX 4027 · #4 (**permalink**) 06-03-2003, 10:05 PM

When you get pulled over. Talk in sign language and hand out ear plugs. It's not a bribe...It's a solution

Todd Hedges · #5 (**permalink**) 06-04-2003, 01:27 PM

Do Gooders are killing us all!

Bob In Ct · #6 (**permalink**) 06-04-2003, 02:21 PM

Hey Guys:
I've got a guy in my neighborhood (a cop) who runs straight pipes on his Harley. He loves to ride around at all hours making lots of noise. He makes my SPF sound like "K" car. If this new law can quite him down I'm all for it.

What we really need is noise limits on lawn mowers, leaf blowers and chain saws.

Bob

Ron61 · #7 (**permalink**) 06-04-2003, 02:46 PM

Don,

Your Governor must know ours. We have an excessive noise law also but no one seems to know just what the level is. They used to set up their DB meter at the Pit River Bridge where they got all the echos from the canyon walls and write tickets by the hundreds until someone took it to court. The guy that fought it and won was driving a stock Honda car with stock mufflers but the canyon amplifies everything a lot. They never did say in court just what the DB level is that is legal. But they made them stop using the meter to check cars and trucks as they drive by and now it is at the descretion of the patrolman if they think something is to loud I guess. But I haven't heard of any tickets for that for a couple of years and I think most of the cops here really don't care as long as something isn't just obnoxiously loud. Besides that, it is fun to drive the Cobras across the bridge and into the canyons. They would send that DB meter off scale.

Ron

Jack21 · #8 (**permalink**) 06-04-2003, 03:17 PM

If "Loud" can't be defined, and quantified it can't be enforced. It's the cop's "Opinion" against yours, abd even representing yourself pro se', you could beat it. Excessive noise has to be first measurable. 95db at 50 feet for instance. The measuring instruments must be calibrated and certified, and the cop must provide documentation azs to his/her training received to use the instrument. The conditions under which the measurements are taken must be described in the statute, or procedure. Uphill, downhill, highway cruise, 35mph, idling? Now, a defective, or malfunctioning exhaust could be a trial issue. If your car has a recent State inspection, or you go and get another one demonstrating no defect, or malfuinction in the exhaust system, The judge will ask you if you have had your muffler repaired. You must state, and document, that your muffler was not defective on the date the violation was written, and therefore no repairs were required. You're "Not Guilty".

Ron61 · #9 (**permalink**) 06-04-2003, 03:37 PM

Jack,

I believe most of what you said came out in the trial as a lot of us went to listen in because of where they set the DB meter up and everyone was afraid to drive by there. The trucks coming down off the mountain with their Jacobs brakes sound like a freight train going through a house because of the canyon and lake amplifying the noise. And this was on I-5 which is our main freeway through here. I haven't heard of any more of that since and I really haven't heard of any noise tickets being given out. I do agree on the muffler issue as that is not only looud but can cause carbon monoxide inside the car. The guy with the Honda that went to court had a mechanic with him and the car had never been touched as it was almost new. It was just that the noise amplified pushed the DB meter past whatever level they were looking for.

Ron

diverrick · #10 (**permalink**) 07-24-2013, 04:08 AM

Is there a bolt of "FIX" for the cobras that would quite them down enough so you could not get a violation? I mean, something that you could easily install to quite it down, so you could say you had fixed it, then you could go home and remove it afterwards.
I agree, if they are going to start handing out tickets, lets start with the Harleys.. Some of those really hurt your ears when they drive by. And I am hard of hearing!

mdross1 · #11 (**permalink**) 07-24-2013, 04:46 AM

Once tried to nail down our noise law fine print.No one from LEO's to the inspection stations could give a solid answer other than it was up to the LEO stopping you and his discretion.Wow! that's a lot to go on like running the Gauntlet.

Don · #12 (**permalink**) 07-24-2013, 05:45 AM

The CT DMV Noise Regulation.

http://www.ct.gov/dmv/lib/dmv/regulations/080a.pdf

CJ428CJ · #13 (**permalink**) 07-24-2013, 01:45 PM

Quote:

If "Loud" can't be defined, and quantified it can't be enforced. It's the cop's "Opinion" against yours, abd even representing yourself pro se', you could beat it. Excessive noise has to be first measurable. 95db at 50 feet for instance. The measuring instruments must be calibrated and certified, and the cop must provide documentation azs to his/her training received to use the instrument. The conditions under which the measurements are taken must be described in the statute, or procedure. Uphill, downhill, highway cruise, 35mph, idling? Now, a defective, or malfunctioning exhaust could be a trial issue. If your car has a recent State inspection, or you go and get another one demonstrating no defect, or malfuinction in the exhaust system, The judge will ask you if you have had your muffler repaired. You must state, and document, that your muffler was not defective on the date the violation was written, and therefore no repairs were required. You're "Not Guilty".

I researched this a bit here in California because a local cop was giving me a hassle about how loud my Cobra was. He told me that if he saw me driving around town in it again, he'd ticket me for excessive noise. I Googled it a bit and found a California Highway Patrol bulletin that basically said the same thing that Jack21 said above. Because it would be impossible to measure the sound levels accurately in other than a laboratory environment, the CHP bulletin concluded something along the lines of, "if it looks like it has a muffler on it don't ticket but if there is no muffler on it go ahead and ticket it."

Chris

Blas · #14 (**permalink**) 07-24-2013, 02:55 PM

Living near O'Hare Airport in Chicago, I would merely site the guidelines as to what the airport authority deems as "loud" noise by comparison to your header noise level. I would think that if you arm yourself with a few statistics, your eventual day in court will be described as comedic at best.
Who knows, you may even start a backlash and get the airlines fined for "loud" noise infractions....

" Power to the People"

xlr8tr · #15 (**permalink**) 07-24-2013, 03:26 PM

I just swapped out sidepipes. somewhat unscientifically, i have the ipod app called SPL soundmeter. At highway speeds, my old pipes read 105 db when held inbetween the drivers head and the passengers. With the new ones, both kids said immediately, wow those are way quieter". imagine my surprise when we did the etst again and it read... 105. The noise is much lower in pitch though, so the perception of "noise" level is much less.