Are Loud Mufflers Illegal In New York?

There is nothing worse than being woken up in the middle of the night as a vehicle zooms down your street with a very loud muffler.

Tons of people across New York have done modifications to their rides but are they all legal?

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Is having a loud muffler actually legal in New York?

No, they are not. In 2021, New York passed the SLEEP Act. SLEEP stands for "Stop Loud and Excessive Exhaust Pollution" and was passed by New York Governor Kathy Hochul in October of 2021 and the law went into effect this past April.

The new bill updated the amount of money that someone who installs illegal loud exhausts in New York to $1,000 which was an increase of $850 from the old law. You could also be fined up to $500 for having an illegally modified muffler on your vehicle.

The SLEEP Act also enforces how loud your muffler can be. The current decibel limit set by New York State's Vehicle and Traffic law, caps the sound between 76 and 90 decibels, depending on speed and vehicle type.

The law puts limits on the distance you can hear the muffler from. Cars that weigh less than 10,000 pounds cannot be heard from 150 feet away while motorcycles and heavy trucks' noise limit is 200 feet.

Anything over the allowed decibel amount or noise span could result in you getting a fine

Over 13,000 noise complaints were filed in New York in 2021, the most since 2018.

You can read more about the SLEEP Act HERE.