Ask the Mayor: What is the County’s Noise Code for Vehicles?

What is our policy on loud music in trucks both running and parked on the street, or in parking lots?

Mayor Alan Arakawa answers some of the most-asked questions submitted to his office staff. 

Dear Mayor,

Q: What is our policy on loud music in trucks both running and parked on the street, or in parking lots? And what is the policy for loud music coming from county parking lots? I spoke with a police officer who told me that the noise level from the park is unlimited, and the same for parked autos but when it is a moving vehicle it can’t surpass a certain level. I have been told quite the opposite by other officers and now I find myself quite confused.

A: Maui County Code 9.36.030 (“Prohibited Noise”) states that “No driver of a vehicle shall operate, or permit the operation of, any sound amplification system which can be heard outside the vehicle from 50 feet or more when the vehicle is parked or operated in a public area, unless that system is being operated to request assistance or warn of a hazardous condition.”

As for the purpose behind this legislation, the code references the fact that “The council has received an increasing number of complaints from the residents of the county concerning the excessive noise created by sound amplification systems in motor vehicles. The council finds that these amplified speaker systems are a nuisance and pose a hazard to the driver by preventing him from hearing warning sounds such as sirens and horns. The intent of this ordinance is to regulate the excessively loud operation of a motor vehicle’s sound amplification system.”

Want to Ask the Mayor?

Submit your questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa via email at [email protected], by phone at 270-7855 or by mail to 200 S. High St., 9th Floor, Wailuku, HI 96793. Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the Ask the Mayor column.