Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Muffler Noise Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee approves ordinance raising penalties for muffler noise; councilors debate compliance testing
Summary
The Finance Committee approved an amended bill to increase penalties for muffler noise violations and remove a 90‑day delayed effective date; councilors discussed the need for a formal compliance/noise‑measurement test before enforcement.
The City of Santa Fe Finance Committee on Jan. 27 approved a bill amending the Uniform Traffic Ordinance to increase penalties for muffler noise violations, eliminate a separate category for second and subsequent offenses, and remove a 90‑day delayed effective date so the change takes effect immediately upon adoption.
Councilor Cassatt (motion sponsor) said the committee had previously included a 90‑day lead‑in period for public education but determined the community was already aware of the issue and moved to delete the delayed effective date. “The community is very well aware of this issue, so I do not believe that we need that effective date,” Cassatt said.
Kyle Hibner, assistant city attorney, and other staff noted the ordinance focuses on penalties rather than technical enforcement methods. Councilors raised the earlier committee work to develop a compliance test — for example, a decibel measurement or other objective test — so that vehicle owners could demonstrate a repaired muffler or compliance after a citation. Hibner said staff and police had been informally accepting proof of repair in some cases and judges had been dismissing citations when proof was presented, but a formalized compliance test or equipment/procedure for officers was not yet adopted.
“Part of what the governing body did the last time this was amended was… make a definition for factory installed muffler,” Hibner said, adding that there had also been limits intended to avoid penalizing older vehicles in some cases.
Committee members agreed to move forward with the penalties amendment while acknowledging the compliance‑test work remains incomplete and may require city management and staff to finalize procedures and possible measurement standards.
The committee approved Amendment A (deleting the 90‑day delayed effective date) and then approved the bill as amended on roll call votes. The bill was identified in the meeting as Bill 2024‑thirteen and Ordinance 2024 (schedule and numbering as presented in the agenda).
