Overview
- The new Class C offense applies to vehicles exceeding 85 decibels or creating noise judged offensive to an ordinary person, including rapid acceleration, revving and "rev bombing."
- Council added a Velásquez amendment requiring a warning before any ticket, following ACLU of Texas concerns that subjective standards could produce discriminatory enforcement.
- APD will begin officer training and public education, with a 30-day grace period in which officers may issue warnings instead of citations.
- Assistant Chief JJ Schmidt said most officers lack decibel meters, so enforcement may hinge on listed factors such as intensity, timing, proximity to homes and recurrence.
- The action follows years of complaints from West Austin residents along RM 2222, and city leaders say the measure gives police a tool they previously lacked.