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Council allows traffic stops for loud aftermarket exhausts; ordinance change adopted
Summary
Council adopted ordinance 15-61 to remove language that previously prohibited traffic stops based solely on loud exhaust. Chief Jen Brown said the department will focus enforcement on aftermarket modifications and will not pursue pursuits for simple violations.
The East Lansing City Council voted Jan. 6 to adopt ordinance 15-61, which amends ordinance 15-41 by removing a provision that prohibited police from stopping vehicles solely for loud exhaust. Proponents said the change restores an enforcement tool targeted at aftermarket modifications that generate excessive noise.
Chief Jen Brown, presenting the Downtown Solutions Committee recommendations, said the downtown problems this fall prompted a cross-departmental response that recommended allowing stops for modified exhaust systems as one tool among several. “One of the concerns I identified by the committee was excessive noise in the downtown area... Our focus will be those aftermarket modifications,” Brown said.
City Attorney Jopek explained the practical effect: removing the prohibition allows officers to stop a vehicle for a loud exhaust violation without the need for a secondary offense. He noted that state vehicle noise statutes (MCL 257.707 and related sections) limit a city’s ability to adopt inconsistent vehicle-noise prohibitions, so the city focused the change on enforcement mechanics rather than adopting novel noise standards.
Council members asked how enforcement would work in practice. Chief Brown said the department will conduct community education in the coming weeks and that their emphasis is on aftermarket modifications rather than vehicles with maintenance-related issues. She also stated that department policy does not authorize vehicle pursuits for mere traffic violations: "We do not have a policy that allows for pursuit of vehicles in a situation where it's simply a traffic violation."
The council approved the ordinance by voice vote. Supporters framed the vote as restoring an enforceable option against egregious aftermarket noise while staff promised outreach and enforcement guidance to minimize unconstitutional or biased enforcement.
What’s next: city staff plan community education about the change and will coordinate enforcement guidance and training for officers; council members signaled interest in follow-up discussion about decibel measurement standards and enforcement procedures.
