California Assembly Bill (A.B.) 1824 was signed into law by then-Governor Jerry Brown in June of 2018 as part of the state’s budget process. The legislation amended how California law enforcement officials issued citations for exhaust noise violations. Specifically, police were not able to issue "fix-it" tickets to loud vehicles. In response, SEMA worked its allies in the legislature to pass S.B. 112 in 2019, which overturned A.B. 1824. To learn more about this effort, click here.

The EPA regulates both stationary and mobile sources of air pollution. Stationary sources are fixed sources of air pollution and include power plants. Mobile sources of pollution include motor vehicles. This decision does not impact EPA’s regulation of motor vehicles and applies only to EPA regulation of power plants. To learn more on this topic, please visit the SAN's complete Fact vs. Fiction article on the West Virginia vs. EPA decision.

Under current California law, a vehicle’s model year determines whether seat belts are required or not. Any vehicle manufactured on or after January 1, 1962, cannot be sold unless the vehicle is equipped with at least two seat belts for the use of persons riding in the front seat. Further, any passenger vehicle manufactured on or after January 1, 1968, must be equipped with seat belts for each seating position.

However, California law also states that a vehicle “does not require installation or maintenance of safety belts if it is not required by the laws of the United States applicable to the vehicle at the time of its initial sale.” Therefore, if federal law did not require seat belts when the vehicle was brand new, then such restraints are not required to be installed. Seat belts become nationally mandated by a federal law that took effect on January 1, 1968.

UPDATE (6/23/22): The California Assembly Transportation Committee amended SB 1079 to create a study instead of a pilot program. In other words, the state must conduct a study to determine if noise detection cameras work before they can consider using them to enforce the state's vehicle noise limits. As currently written, the state must evaluate the technology from at least three companies by January 1, 2025 before noise cameras may be used.

ORIGINAL POST: The California legislature is considering a bill (SB 1079) that would create a pilot program allowing six cities to issue exhaust noise tickets using noise detection cameras. These cameras work similarly to red light and speed cameras and are being tested in other cities around the country. Contrary to some media reports, the bill has not passed the legislature. As of this writing, it awaits consideration in the Assembly before moving to Gov. Gavin Newsom for final approval or veto.

More importantly, the bill does not change California's existing exhaust noise laws, which is based on SEMA's model bill. The law limits cars and trucks to 95-decibels of exhaust noise when tested using an objective SAE International procedure. Motorists that receive a ticket would still have the ability to have their vehicle tested by the Referee to determine compliance. A court may then use the test result to dismiss the ticket.

According to the state's DMV, their vehicle inspection procedures have not changed as a result of the new law. Inspectors are not equipped with decibel readers and do not perform sound checks on vehicles. To learn more about the inspection process for cars and trucks, please click here. UPDATE: in late May, the DMV issued new guidance to inspectors confirming that the state's inspection procedures for motor vehicles was unchanged.

To learn more about New York's new exhaust law, please read the SAN's comprehensive Fact vs. Fiction article.

In California, a “collector motor vehicle” is defined as a motor vehicle that is used primarily in shows, parades, charitable functions, and historical exhibitions for display, maintenance, and preservation, and is not used for primary transportation. With few exceptions, these collector cars that are model-year 1976 and newer require a Smog Check every two years for registration renewal, but some are eligible for an abbreviated inspection performed by a state Referee.

Details: https://www.bar.ca.gov/Consumer/Smog_Check_Program/Collector_Cars

To qualify for an abbreviated inspection, a collector motor vehicle must be at least 35 years old and insured as a collector car. During an abbreviated inspection, the Referee will confirm the vehicle meets the criteria for a collector car, confirm proof of insurance as a collector car, and perform a Smog Check. The process will include a test of tailpipe emissions, a functional test of the fuel cap, and a visual check for liquid fuel leaks. 

A new in law in North Carolina shifts the focus away from the overall ride height and instead to rake angle.  What would the new law change exactly? With the enactment of HB 692, a vehicle’s front fender may not be four or more inches higher than the rear fender. For the purposes of the law, the height of the fender is a vertical measurement from and perpendicular to the ground through the centerline of the wheel and to the bottom of the fender. In other words, it does not matter how much the vehicle is lifted as long as the rake angle is not excessive. Motorists found to have violated the law three times within a 12-month period will have their license revoked for at least one year.   Fans of the Carolina Squat argued that HB 692 represents more government overreach that needlessly cracks down on car culture. Proponents of the proposal point to safety as the reason for the change. By excessively aiming the front of a vehicle upward, it makes it more difficult for the driver to see over the hood, dangerously shifts the angle of the headlights, and changes airflow under the vehicle, causing it to be unstable.  Fans of lifted or lowered trucks fear not. Unless you’ve raised the nose of your vehicle excessively as compared to the tail, HB 692 will not impact you. In fact, observant enthusiasts—including some in the automotive press—have noticed that HB 692 removed the existing 6-inch height limit entirely while focusing solely on rake angle. To read more on this topic, please review the SAN's complete Fact vs. Fiction article.