I don't know about CA but here it's $1,000 and then more for future offenses. Not worth it.

 

I think you guys are missing the point of a fix it ticket. It's not a ticket where you can continuous pay the fine and not worry about it. If you receive a fix it ticket, you have to correct the problem within X days and show up for an inspection. You can revert after you pass the inspection but if you get another ticket, you'll get nailed for a heavy fine. Like Denversteve said, upwards of 1000.

 

[quote=denversteve;3461960]It may be a municipal ordinance where ever you worked, but it is not a state law in Colorado. You can make any mods you want as long as A-You can still pass the visual and sensor emission tests. If your car came with a cat it must have a cat to pass visual, but whether it is 400 cell or 200 cell cat makes no difference as long as it passes the sensor test. That only applies in the 5 Front Range counties that have the emissions test requirements. And B-The car cannot be any louder than what the loudest OEM muffler could have been. In the case of a Porsche, even if your car didnt come with the sport exhaust, you can modify it to the same sound level using OEM or aftermarket mufflers and be perfectly legal. In my 23 years as a LEO, I never saw exhaust noise seriously enforced unless it was in response to a specific complaint i.e. you make a habit of ripping down the neighborhood street at 2am with really loud pipes and the neighbors complain. Or unless you were stopped for something else and you had a seriously bad attitude towards the officer.

This information comes directly from the Colorado Model Traffic Code, section 225 that is pasted verbatim below. And, even if you were cited under this statute, it was a petty traffic offense with no points and a $75 fine, certainly not $1,000.:


225. Mufflers - prevention of noise

 

Noise or emissions or both? I spent the last 10 years in Denver with loud motorcycles and a 997.1 TT with Europipe 2 and no front plate and never got stopped - maybe just lucky?

 

There is no specific fine in Colorado for failing emissions. If your car is registered in one of the 5 Front Range counties then you must pass emissions every 2 years. If you do not pass emissions and you don't correct whatever is causing you to fail, the penalty is you cannot register your car or renew your license plates. Your options then is to sell the vehicle to someone who doesn't live in one of those 5 counties, sell it out of state, scrap it or rent a PO box in any non-Front Range county and use that address for your registration.

 

IANAL but here's the gist of it in CA:
Noise is going to be set by city ordinance. And a cop could write a ticket based on his general experience or understanding. As an example, where I live if they can hear your car more than 50 ft away you're probably going to get a noise ticket if the cop is in a ticket writing mood. They also patrol for Harleys around here.

In CA typically ANYTHING that you modify from before the cats, cats included, or after the air filters is going to require CARB certification. I'm going to guess most of these cats don't have CARB certs due to the cost.

So noise aside, you can change anything after the cats and be smog legal since the parts after the cats are not part of the smog emissions system.

Also, we don't have inspections here. We do have smog checks. Start at year 5, then every 2 years after. They do a quick visual of the emissions system but typically nothing as extensive as what I had when I lived on the east coast.

In CA a "fix it ticket" is usually a small fine + you have to show up to any police officer, have him inspect the offense and sign the ticket. You then send it in.

What city did you get a noise ticket in?

 

An officer can write a ticket for almost anything, but it doesn't mean he is correct or that it will hold up in court.

My advice to anyone who gets a ticket like this for loud mufflers: Go online, go to the library, go wherever you need to and get a copy of the Uniform Model Traffic Code for whatever State you live in. If the ticket is issued by a County or City officer, get a copy of the relevant ordinance online or from the DA's office that would prosecute the case. There are just too many urban myths about what the laws are and police officers are not always well trained in some of these more mundane areas.

For example, most sound ordinances will specify a maximum dB level at X feet from the vehicle with the engine at a certain rpm. If so, learn what that is and have your car tested at a certified test facility. If you can prove your car does not exceed the maximum level your case will be dismissed. Carry the paperwork with you in case you get stopped again in the future. Few people are so well trained that they can consistently determine if a vehicle is compliant just by ear. It is rare that the determination of "too loud" is left to the discretion of the officer alone as it is so subjective.

Also, if you do not live in the city where you were cited, you may be exempt from that sound statute. This relates to the ICC traffic regulations. For example, in Utah you cannot have large tires that protrude beyond the widest part of your fender (like on a Jeep). In Colorado, that is not illegal. If you drive through Utah you can be stopped and cited for that but if you go to court and show non-Utah residency the case will be dismissed. The same may (may) apply if your vehicle complies with the noise statutes where your vehicle is registered, even if it is in the same State. Thats why you need to check the State UMTC as most municipalities start off basing their regulations on UMTC.

I was a cop so I am all for enforcing regulations and for folks to fix stuff that isn't compliant, but it's also important that the rules be enforced fairly and accurately.