Excessive noise from vehicles isn’t just an annoyance but a “serious quality of life and safety issue” in parts of Montgomery County, according to County Council member Natali Fani-González.

To that end, she and others on the council want to establish a pilot program that would automatically ticket drivers if their vehicles are making excessive noise via unlawfully modified exhaust systems.

If enacted, the bill — introduced at the Montgomery County Council’s July 30 meeting — would require the Montgomery County Police Department to install up to three noise monitoring “cameras” around the county.

The “noise cameras” would activate and take video of any vehicle that’s detected making noise at or above 85 decibels, according to the council website. Long or repeated exposure to noise at 85 decibels or higher can cause hearing loss, according to National Institutes of Health.

First-time offenders would get a warning, with subsequent violations earning a fine of up to $75. It would be a civil penalty, not criminal, according to the County Council.

Montgomery County Council Vice President Kate Stewart said in a statement that the program “will protect residents from the harmful outcomes and help our public safety officials manage reckless driving behavior.”

During the council meeting where the legislation was introduced, conversation about the measure was brief and entirely supportive.

Stewart during the meeting said it was important to remember that modified exhaust systems on cars are already illegal, but that it’s been difficult to enforce. She also said that concerns over noise came from residents who have said modified exhausts are interrupting sleep and even making conversation difficult.

“By having noise cameras we will be able to help our public safety members do that [enforcement],” she said.

The microphones on the automated cameras would not pick up noise “beyond the two-and-a-half lanes of the roadway adjacent to the camera,” according to a fact sheet about the bill. Fines collected from the pilot program can only be put toward the cost of the program itself or “public safety purposes.”

Earlier this year, Maryland lawmakers created a system that allows only Montgomery County and Prince George’s County to establish pilot noise monitoring programs like this. Gov. Wes Moore approved the bill in May.

Fani-González during the council meeting said many people who modify their cars to make them louder are also people who are driving dangerously fast on roads.

“At the end of the day, this is about creating safe communities for people,” she said.

If approved, the state authorization for the pilot program would expire at the end of June 2026. A public hearing on the bill in Montgomery County is scheduled for Sept. 17.