AB 1824 allows law enforcement agencies to impose immediate fines for violations of exhaust levels. Prior to 2019, police issued so-called “Fix It” tickets, which allow you to repair your vehicle`s exhaust system within 30 days, provide evidence and avoid paying fines. Since 2019, fines are mandatory and can reach $1,000. If your vehicle`s factory exhaust system contains a catalytic converter in the manifold part, a replacement silencer positioned after the catalytic converter is considered a replacement. To be safer, you can check if a part is accepted by the California Air Resource Board by performing the Executive Order search, which lists all acceptable spare parts. But now the whole ordeal is quite different and more expensive. In the video above, the agent explains that since 1. January 2019 is no longer a corrective offense to have an excessively noisy exhaust – it`s simply a $1000 fine. The fine comes with a mandatory trip to the California Buerau of Automotive Repair (BAR) to be inspected after repairs. To learn more about what is likely to happen if you are cited for an “excessively noisy exhaust”, visit bar`s website here. Below are some frequently asked questions about California`s exhaust noise laws! (a) no person shall modify the exhaust system of a motor vehicle in such a way as to amplify or amplify the noise emitted by the engine of the vehicle in such a way that the vehicle does not meet the provisions of section 27150 or exceeds the noise limits set out in section 2.5 for the type of vehicle (beginning with section 27200). No person may drive a motor vehicle with such a modified exhaust system.
(b) For the purposes of exhaust systems installed in motor vehicles with a total laden weight of less than 6,000 pounds from a manufacturer, excluding motorcycles, a sound level of 95 dbA or less when tested in accordance with Society of Automotive Engineers Standard J1169 of May 1998 shall comply with this section. Exhaust systems for motor vehicles or parts thereof include, but are not limited to, non-original exhaust systems. If you are currently facing vehicle customization trends in Los Angeles, you need to make sure that your vehicle is not in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. When it comes to exhaust modifications, you should pay close attention to decibel limits, a muffler, and compliance with California Air Resource Board and Environmental Protection Agency regulations. In our view, a fine of $1,000 and certainly $1,105 is far too high to have broken any noise law. Most people don`t just have $1,000 lying around, especially for a fine based on a police officer`s discretion for a crime that doesn`t hurt anyone. Also, there`s no clear location data for the state`s arbitration centers, which means there may not be many of them and/or they may be very far apart (California is a large state). That said, the sky isn`t falling for california car enthusiasts. If you recently purchased a legal replacement exhaust system for your vehicle, it is still legal. If your vehicle`s exhaust is too noisy, you will be ordered to take it to an official arbitration center – Bureau of Automotive Repair Smog Check Referee Program. Although there is a standard method of measuring exhaust noise (using a decibelmeter at a certain distance and at constant speed), this will not be the case in the real world. If a police officer thinks your exhaust is too noisy, you`ll get a quote.
So even if you bought your own decibel counter and measured your vehicle`s noise at 93 dB in your driveway, the quote is still at the discretion of the agent who stopped you. The Assembly`s Bill 1824 came into force in January 2019. This new legislation does not make California`s exhaust noise laws stricter. Instead, the bill only requires police officers to impose immediate fines on offenders. “California law requires all vehicles to be equipped with an appropriate silencer to avoid excessive exhaust system noise. It also prohibits the use of a passenger car (other than a motorcycle) or truck with a total laden weight (GVWR) of less than 6,000 pounds and an exhaust noise level greater than 95 decibels when tested under certain conditions. “Well, this part is nothing new – AB 1824 is more of a revision than a new law. The modification of the exhaust you choose depends on the make, model and year of your vehicle, as well as what you want to do with it.
No matter what you choose, you need to know the relevant laws and regulations. No. You can only bring it to the California Bureau of Automotive Repair to check your car`s exhaust noise level after receiving the ticket, and this ride will cost you $108. Once you have the certificate of conformity, you can wave the fine. In addition, some vehicles may benefit from special exemptions under these laws if they participate in a race or organized event (27150.c). In addition, the noise level of motorcycle exhaust gases depends on the year of manufacture, with motorcycles manufactured before 1970 being able to have up to 92 dbA and up to 80 dbA after 1985 (full table linked to section 27202 of article 2.5 below). 27151(a): A person shall not modify the exhaust system of a motor vehicle in such a way as to amplify or amplify the noise emitted by the engine of the vehicle so that the vehicle does not comply with the provisions of section 27150 or exceeds the acoustic limits set out in section 2.5 for the vehicle type (from section 27200). A person may not drive a motor vehicle with such a modified exhaust system. The last thing to worry about is the California Air Resource Board and the Environmental Protection Agency. Fortunately, it`s less difficult to determine if an exhaust system is acceptable in California than it is to know if tuning is illegal in California.
If your vehicle`s factory exhaust system does not contain a catalytic converter, a replacement exhaust part is considered a replacement. This only applies if it doesn`t remove or replace something like oxygen sensors, as this can change the exhaust gas cleaning system. Exhaust modifications are only illegal if the noise emitted is greater than 95 decibels. Keep in mind that California smog laws or other laws can still make your custom exhaust modifications illegal. If you avoided changing an exhaust system that you knew was illegal by playing repair tickets, you will now have a much harder time doing so. Even worse, some people will be forced to bear the costs and hassle of going to the bar because an overzealous police officer wanted to stick to their quota. However, the lives of the majority of enthusiasts are not changed by this law, but you may want to get off the pedal and disconnect from all the police officers you see, just in case. The complete California exhaust noise laws can be found in california vehicle code § 27150 – 27159 – Exhaust systems.
Below, we have highlighted two of the most important sections. There are also additional regulations, so we recommend checking the California Vehicle Code for important sections related to exhaust gas noise levels. For example, section 2115.3 prohibits the installation of “whistleblowing” devices or similar devices that emit a loud or glaring noise during vehicle operation. In addition, not everyone who has a modified exhaust drives road races. Some of us are just enthusiasts who want to hear the roar of a beautiful V-8. (Seriously, brother, no one wants to hear your Camaro V-6 – put a silencer on it.) Plus, road racing has always been around, and it`s not going anywhere just because it calms our exhausts.
