New York’s SLEEP Act, short for the Stop Loud and Excessive Exhaust Pollution Act, bans loud aftermarket exhaust hardware, raises the fine for selling or installing it to as much as $1,000, and gives inspection stations, repair shops, and even automated noise cameras a role in enforcement. Governor Hochul signed the law on October 29, 2021, amending several sections of the Vehicle and Traffic Law.1Governor Kathy Hochul. Governor Hochul Signs Legislation Cracking Down on Noisy, Illegal Mufflers and Exhaust Systems to Protect Public Health, Safety and Quality of Life
What the Law Prohibits
Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 375, subdivision 31, requires every motor vehicle on a public road to have a working muffler and exhaust system that prevents excessive or unusual noise. The system must operate constantly, so any device that lets you switch the muffler on and off is out.2New York State Senate. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law 375 – Equipment
Cut-outs, bypasses, and similar devices that route exhaust gases around the muffler are banned outright. So is any modification that makes the exhaust louder than what the manufacturer originally installed. The factory-original setup is the benchmark. Go louder than that, and you are in violation.2New York State Senate. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law 375 – Equipment
Motorcycles carry two extra rules. Subdivision 31-a bans the sale or installation of straight pipes, meaning exhausts with no internal baffles. Subdivision 31-b bans exhaust devices designed so the baffling can be fully or partially removed or swapped. Motorcycles manufactured before 1979 are exempt from the removable-baffle rule, along with limited-use vehicles and ATVs.2New York State Senate. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law 375 – Equipment
Fines for Drivers, Installers, and Sellers
The law splits the penalty by role, and the gap is larger than most people expect.
Selling, offering for sale, or installing a prohibited exhaust device carries a fine of up to $1,000, up to 30 days in jail, or both. This covers cut-outs, bypasses, straight pipes, and removable-baffle motorcycle exhausts under subdivisions 31(b), 31-a, and 31-b of Section 375.2New York State Senate. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law 375 – Equipment That ceiling is $850 higher than the previous maximum.1Governor Kathy Hochul. Governor Hochul Signs Legislation Cracking Down on Noisy, Illegal Mufflers and Exhaust Systems to Protect Public Health, Safety and Quality of Life
Motorcycle operators caught riding with an illegally modified exhaust are charged under VTL Section 381 and face up to $500, up to 30 days in jail, or both.3New York eJustice. Chapter 527 of the Laws of 2021 – Exhaust Equipment Violations and Fines Both the shop that installed the exhaust and the rider using it can be charged from the same setup.
Mandatory Surcharges on Top
Every Vehicle and Traffic Law conviction adds a mandatory surcharge and a crime victim assistance fee. A standard traffic infraction under Article 9 carries a $25 surcharge plus a $5 fee. Other VTL offenses outside the traffic-infraction category carry a $55 surcharge plus the $5 fee. Town and village courts add another $5.4New York State Senate. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law 1809 – Mandatory Surcharge and Crime Victim Assistance Fee Required in Certain Cases A $500 motorcycle fine can land at $555 or $565 once those fees are added.
Decibel Limits Are a Separate Ticket
VTL Section 386 sets hard sound ceilings measured at 50 feet from the center of the travel lane, and they apply to every vehicle regardless of what has been modified:
- Passenger vehicles and light trucks (10,000 lbs or less, excluding motorcycles): 76 dB(A) at 35 mph or below, 82 dB(A) above 35 mph.
- Motorcycles: 82 dB(A) at 35 mph or below, 86 dB(A) above 35 mph.
- Heavy trucks and combinations (over 10,000 lbs): 86 dB(A) at 35 mph or below, 90 dB(A) above 35 mph.
A single stop can produce two tickets: one under Section 375 for a prohibited device, another under Section 386 for exceeding the decibel limit.5New York State Senate. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law 386 – Motor Vehicle Sound Level Limits
Inspection Stations Must Now Check Exhaust
Annual safety inspections did not specifically check motorcycle exhaust before the SLEEP Act. Now they do. Inspection stations must examine the muffler and exhaust system under subdivision 31(a) of Section 375 as part of the standard inspection, and a vehicle with a cut-out, bypass, straight pipes, or any other noncompliant modification has to fail until the owner restores it.6New York State Senate. Senate Bill S784B
Stations that ignore the rule face escalating consequences under VTL Section 303. On a third willful violation within 18 months, the DMV Commissioner can suspend or revoke the station’s inspection license or refuse to renew it. Financial penalties under Section 303(h) stack on top of that suspension rather than replacing it.6New York State Senate. Senate Bill S784B
Consequences for Repair Shops and Retailers
Section 375, subdivision 31(b), prohibits anyone in New York from selling, offering for sale, or installing a cut-out, bypass, or similar device that would make a vehicle louder than its factory exhaust. Straight pipes and removable-baffle motorcycle exhausts fall under the same ban through subdivisions 31-a and 31-b.2New York State Senate. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law 375 – Equipment Labeling the parts “off-road use only” does not create a loophole for a shop selling them for use on the street.
The SLEEP Act also amended VTL Section 398-e so that a willful violation of these exhaust rules is grounds for suspending or revoking a repair shop’s registration certificate, the same section the DMV uses against fraudulent repair work.6New York State Senate. Senate Bill S784B Losing the certificate closes the business.
NYC Noise Cameras Add a Second Path
New York City operates its own automated noise camera program through the Department of Environmental Protection. Microphone arrays paired with a panoramic camera and license plate reader identify vehicles that exceed a noise threshold, and DEP staff can issue a summons under the city’s Noise Code without a traffic stop. Because these summonses are issued under the Noise Code rather than the Vehicle and Traffic Law, they carry their own penalty schedule. The program imposed $1,472,265 in total penalties across all violations in 2025.7NYC Department of Environmental Protection. 2025 Annual Report for Noise Camera Enforcement Program
Federal Rules Sit on Top
The SLEEP Act is state law, but the Clean Air Act separately makes it illegal to knowingly remove or disable any device or design element installed on a certified vehicle or engine. The EPA calls this tampering and can impose significant fines.8Alternative Fuels Data Center. Conversion and Tampering Regulations The federal prohibition focuses on manufacturers and installers of parts that defeat emissions or noise controls, and in practice EPA enforcement tends to target large commercial violators rather than individual owners. A shop selling bypass components can still face both state penalties under the SLEEP Act and federal action.