Loud car modifications: What’s legal, what’s not and how cities are cracking down

MATTHEWS, N.C. (InvestigateTV) — Residents in Matthews say the roar of unmuffled motors and backfiring tailpipes is disrupting daily life, and local police say complaints about the noise are common.

Reporter Jamie Boll takes an in-depth look at how drivers modify their vehicles to produce the sounds and whether doing so is legal.

What residents are saying

Katie Wright said Matthews is generally a pleasant place until a modified vehicle passes by.

“Well, in Matthews in particular, it’s pretty idyllic and it’s pretty wonderful unless somebody comes by revving their engine and just completely interrupting the mood and the moment,” Wright said.

She said the noise is “10 out of 10 annoying” and it tops her list because “it’s so unnecessary.”

Savineh Dunn said the problem extends beyond daytime hours.

“Very annoying, very disruptive, especially late at night when you’re trying to get some sleep,” Dunn said.

What the law says in North Carolina

North Carolina law requires vehicles to have a muffler or exhaust system of the type installed at the time of manufacture. The use of a “muffler cut-out” is unlawful under state statute.

Matthews police officer Tim Aycock said drivers are taking their vehicles to modification shops after purchase to alter the exhaust system.

“So, they’re taking it to modification shops, where they’ll remove those pipes or catalytic converters, whatever, may be to make those sounds,” Aycock said. “A lot of people want it to sound like a race car or some type of sports vehicle, and it’s understandable for movies and television, but it’s not legal, or it’s just not realistic.”

Aycock said modifications to the baffling within catalytic converters and the muffler itself can also produce the backfiring sound some drivers seek.

Enforcement challenges and penalties

Aycock said policing the issue is difficult, particularly when a vehicle is in motion.

“It’s tough. Obviously, a lot of our stuff is complaint driven, so we try to catch up to those individuals as quickly as we can and safely as we can,” Aycock said. “If it’s a moving vehicle, it’s different, unless the officer can really be right there on top of that situation.”

Drivers caught with illegal modifications may receive a fix-it ticket. Violations of local noise ordinances carry fines starting at $100 and reaching up to $1,000.

Cities turn to noise cameras

Experts say every state has its own standard for determining when a vehicle is too loud. Some cities have deployed noise cameras as a possible solution to enforcement challenges.

The cameras detect when a vehicle’s noise exceeds a city’s ordinance, record the license plate, and the city later issues a ticket. A city official in Knoxville, Tennessee, said the system can distinguish between a modified vehicle and a large city truck.

“It will say, hey, like, this is actually the kind of sound pattern that is the kind of thing we’re looking for. And it will pick up, let’s say, fire trucks, street sweepers. Those have a very specific sound characteristic and say, hey, that’s actually not the kind of violation that we’re looking for,” Carter Hall of the Knoxville Center for Service Innovation said.

Knoxville has been testing the technology for several years.

Officials deemed the cameras necessary in the downtown area after a pilot program revealed how frequently the noise ordinance was being violated.

New York City has also reported success with the technology. In three years, the city said it collected enough money from fines to recoup the entire cost of the camera program.

See Jamie Boll’s story and learn more here.