New Loud Exhaust Law

[Bikeman315]

It's 85 dB in the new law in Virginia. I think the federal limit is 95 dB, I couldn't find any info doing a Google search. And I'm pretty sure most county police departments aren't going out buying dB meters with certification. State inspections stations do not measure for loudness, just check for leaks, cats missing. They also don't check tint. So it's up to the discretion of the officer if he feels it's to loud. Like I said, it's going to be interesting in court if they start ticketing stock exhaust.

Bernard, read the law. It’s not what you think. Fortunately.
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter10/section46.2-1049/

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[07S281E]

Tennessee does not currently have a muffler law.

 

[gtcs20148]

Bernard, read the law. It’s not what you think. Fortunately.
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter10/section46.2-1049/

That is the old law. At the top of the page is shows that they are having difficulty updating the page to show the 2022 update.

 

[Bikeman315]

That is the old law. At the top of the page is shows that they are having difficulty updating the page to show the 2022 update.

Damn, sorry, I missed that.

How about this one? Law seems to be more about exhaust systems than the actual noise they produce.
https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?221+ful+CHAP0490

 

[Nardly]

Bernard, read the law. It’s not what you think. Fortunately.
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter10/section46.2-1049/

This was in the big red box at the top of the page: There have been significant technical difficulties during the 2022 code upload process. Due to these difficulties, the portal does not currently reflect the changes to enacted law.
This is almost verbatim of vehicle inspection criteria. In other news articles I have read take a reading at 50 feet from the tip. No rpm levels or specifics mentioned. I'll write one of my representatives and see if they can provide the specifics.

 

[Nardly]

Damn, sorry, I missed that.

How about this one? Law seems to be more about exhaust systems than the actual noise they produce.
https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?221+ful+CHAP0490

The more I read I think as long as it's stock I'll be fine, I guess that ruins my plans for an H-Pipe......

 

[Bikeman315]

The more I read I think as long as it's stock I'll be fine, I guess that ruins my plans for an H-Pipe......

Well your stock system will be just fine.

No person shall drive and no owner of a vehicle shall permit or allow the operation of any such vehicle on a highway unless it is equipped with an exhaust system in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual levels of noise, provided, however, that for motor vehicles, such exhaust system shall be of a type installed as standard factory equipment, or comparable to that designed for use on the particular vehicle as standard factory equipment or other equipment that has been submitted to and approved by the Superintendent or meets or exceeds the standards and specifications of the Society of Automotive Engineers, the American National Standards Institute, or the federal Department of Transportation.

This part may be at issue with an H pipe especially if you have the AE set for Sport or Track.

Chambered pipes are not an effective muffling device to prevent excessive or unusual noise, and any vehicle equipped with chambered pipes shall be deemed in violation of this section.

 

[thompsje]

This part may be at issue with an H pipe especially if you have the AE set for Sport or Track.

Chambered pipes are not an effective muffling device to prevent excessive or unusual noise, and any vehicle equipped with chambered pipes shall be deemed in violation of this section.

That one is interesting. I'd have to say that chambered pipes are *part* of many stock exhaust systems... so maybe the intent there is for only chambered pipes? That one may need some clarification.

FWIW, I put an X-pipe on my stock non-active exhaust and passed inspection just fine here in MA where we've had stuff like this on the books for a while. Ours is a little more vague about "louder than stock", but AFAIK nobody measures the DB levels of every stock exhaust to compare it to. The issue for the inspection stations here is when people have loud exhausts and the garage doesn't care a lot and passes them. Then these people get caught doing shit and refuse to just take responsibility. They say "the garage gave me a sticker", which then causes fines and potential loss of license for the garage.

Even with all that, it's almost 100% an effort to stop people from causing excessive noise, for an extended period of time, *in the same area*. So you gonna rip your fart-cannon Civic up and down the same street 20 times at 3AM? They should arrest you, and crush the car before dawn IMO. Ditto for straight-pipe Harleys and smoke tuned Cummins/Powerstroke bros at any hour. But a Mustang mostly cruising along and not being a douche? Probably fine.

So as a previous poster summarized "don't be an asshole".

 

[EmCel]

This kind of sucks

 

[Ock]

its a little funny weed is legal there now but not loud pipes....

 

[Qcman17]

its a little funny weed is legal there now but not loud pipes....
F&

Well it’s widely known that weed enhances human hearing so it makes sense if you’re stoned the pipes sound too loud
For me the law should target shitty sounding exhausts.
Cop: “ I pulled you over because your fart cannon is bigger than an apple juice can. And put your f@ckin’ ballcap on straight!”

 

[Nardly]

its a little funny weed is legal there now but not loud pipes....

Yeah, it's legal but you can't sell or buy it. But for $50 you can go online and get a medical certificate to go to the medical dispensaries.

 

[MidwayJ]

Just to throw this out there… even the exhaust in 100% stock form is “too loud” if it’s in track mode.

Depends. Revving the engine to high RPMs in a residential area, especially late at night or early in the morning, yes. Driving normally on major streets or cruising down the highway, no.

 

[kiksbutt]

Here it is.

https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/le...cZWIYjm_aTGkkCQfupV8PBQ4PzH3FfoevLiT2LO8DvO2Q

 

[Mspider]

its a little funny weed is legal there now but not loud pipes....

Loud exhaust noises are probably linked to more deaths than weed. Funny to think about.

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