JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Audiophiles, beware. If you like playing your car stereo a little loud, you may want to mark this day on your calendar - July 1. That's the day Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said it's going to start enforcing a Florida law that makes it illegal to play your system too loud.
How loud is too loud? If your sound is audible at a distance of 25 feet or more, you're in violation of the state law.
For reference, here are a few examples of things that are 25 feet long:
- Four refrigerators vertically in a row
- Five park benches
- Four adult males
- A two-car garage
So, if you're listening to your car stereo or any audio source that's clearly audible within distances of the following examples, you may see some blue lights.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office released the following statement on its Facebook page Tuesday:
Lower your radio volume! Starting July 1, 2022, Florida State Statute 316.3045 will once again become enforceable. What does this mean? It means that you will have to listen to your car radio at a volume that is NOT plainly audible at a distance of 25 feet or more.
Read below to see the entire state statute:
316.3045 Operation of radios or other mechanical soundmaking devices or instruments in vehicles; exemptions.—
(1) It is unlawful for any person operating or occupying a motor vehicle on a street or highway to operate or amplify the sound produced by a radio, tape player, or other mechanical soundmaking device or instrument from within the motor vehicle so that the sound is:(a) Plainly audible at a distance of 25 feet or more from the motor vehicle; or(b) Louder than necessary for the convenient hearing by persons inside the vehicle in areas adjoining churches, schools, or hospitals.(2) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any law enforcement motor vehicle equipped with any communication device necessary in the performance of law enforcement duties or to any emergency vehicle equipped with any communication device necessary in the performance of any emergency procedures.(3) The provisions of this section do not apply to motor vehicles used for business or political purposes, which in the normal course of conducting such business use soundmaking devices. The provisions of this subsection shall not be deemed to prevent local authorities, with respect to streets and highways under their jurisdiction and within the reasonable exercise of the police power, from regulating the time and manner in which such business may be operated.(4) The provisions of this section do not apply to the noise made by a horn or other warning device required or permitted by s. 316.271. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall promulgate rules defining “plainly audible” and establish standards regarding how sound should be measured by law enforcement personnel who enforce the provisions of this section.(5) A violation of this section is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a nonmoving violation as provided in chapter 318.