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Charlotte weighs noise cameras to crack down on loud cars
By WFAE staff and wire reports
June 2, 2026 at 10:20 AM EDT
Charlotte City Council’s safety committee on Monday heard a proposal to explore using enforcement tools such as noise-sensing cameras to ticket excessively loud vehicles.
Council members said they have received a surge of complaints in recent months about cars with modified exhaust systems that produce high noise levels.
Council member Ed Driggs said the reason behind the noise — whether a broken muffler or a deliberate modification — does not matter.
“In my mind, modified and faulty are the same issue. It’s like a broken taillight,” Driggs said. “If you have an exhaust that sounds like that, you need to fix it. You can’t drive around making that noise just because you didn’t do it intentionally.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have issued 16 noise violations to drivers for loud cars in recent months.
City attorneys said that to deploy noise-sensing cameras, Charlotte would likely need changes to state law.
Council members said they have received a surge of complaints in recent months about cars with modified exhaust systems that produce high noise levels.
Council member Ed Driggs said the reason behind the noise — whether a broken muffler or a deliberate modification — does not matter.
“In my mind, modified and faulty are the same issue. It’s like a broken taillight,” Driggs said. “If you have an exhaust that sounds like that, you need to fix it. You can’t drive around making that noise just because you didn’t do it intentionally.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have issued 16 noise violations to drivers for loud cars in recent months.
City attorneys said that to deploy noise-sensing cameras, Charlotte would likely need changes to state law.