10.12.600 Motor vehicle noise levels | Lynnwood Municipal Code

10.12.600 Motor vehicle noise levels.

A. No person shall operate any motor vehicle or any combination of such vehicles upon any public highway under any conditions of grade, load, acceleration or deceleration in such a manner as to exceed the maximum permissible sound levels of the category of vehicle in Table II, as measured at a distance of 50 feet from the center of the lane of travel within the speed limits specified, under procedures established by the State Commission on Equipment in Chapter 204-56 WAC, Procedures for Measuring Motor Vehicle Sound Levels.

Table II. In-Use Motor Vehicle Noise Performance Standards
Measured at Fifty Feet
	Maximum Sound Level, dBA Speed Zones
Vehicle Category (type)	45 mph or less	Over 45 mph	Stationary Test
Motorcycles	78	82	N/A
Automobiles, light trucks and all other motor vehicles 10,000 pounds GVWR or less	72	78	N/A

	35 mph or less	Over 35 mph
All motor vehicles over 10,000 pounds GVWR before 1986	86	90	86
All motor vehicles over 10,000 pounds GVWR, 1986 and after	(Reserved)	(Reserved)	(Reserved)

B. No person shall operate any motor vehicle upon any public highway if the vehicle exhaust system exceeds the maximum permissible sound levels of Table III for the category and year of vehicle, as measured at a distance of 20 inches from the exhaust outlet under procedures established by the State Commission of Equipment in Chapter 204-56 WAC, Procedures for Measuring Motor Vehicle Sound Levels.

Table III. In-Use Motor Vehicle Exhaust System Noise Performance Standards
Measured at Twenty Inches
Vehicle Category (type)	Model Year	Maximum Sound Level, dBA
Motorcycles	Before 1986	99
Motorcycles	1986 and after	(Reserved)
Automobiles, light trucks and all other motor vehicles 10,000 pounds GVWR or less	Before 1986	95
	1986 and after	(Reserved)

C. Motor vehicle noise enforcement procedures are as follows:

1. Measurements shall be made with a sound level meter meeting Type 1, S1A, 2 or S2A requirements as specified in the American National Standards Specifications for Sound Level Meters (§ 1.4-1971) as required under measurement procedures established in Chapter 204-56 WAC, Procedures for Measuring Motor Vehicle Sound Levels.

2. Violation of any in-use motor vehicle noise standard set forth in this chapter shall be a traffic infraction, enforced by such authorities and in such manner as violations of Chapter 46.37 RCW.

3. Law enforcement personnel selected to measure vehicle sound levels shall have received training in the techniques of sound measurement and the operation of sound measuring instruments.

4. Any enforcement officer who by use of the initial inspection procedures of Chapter 204-56 WAC suspects that a motor vehicle may be in violation of the standards of this chapter may require the operator to have the vehicle presented for sound level measurement. Measurements of a motor vehicle may be performed at off-road sites to determine compliance with the in-use standards.

5. Any operator who fails to comply with the directive to present the vehicle to a sound level measurement test shall be in violation of this chapter. (Ord. 3399 § 2 (Exh. A), 2021; Ord. 1290 § 1, 1982; Ord. 1275 § 1, 1982)