Snowmobile Noise Requirements

Noise requirements are important to follow as excessive noise is a leading cause for private landowner complaints. Maine’s noise level requirements for snowmobiles are as follows.

• A snowmobile manufactured after February 1, 2007, must display on its exhaust silencer a visible, unaltered certification marking issued by an independent organization that certifies snowmobiles for uniformity of safety features and noise levels.
• A snowmobile manufactured after October 1, 1985, must not exceed a total vehicle noise greater than 78 decibels of sound pressure level at 50 feet on the "A" scale, as measured by the SAE standards J-192.
• It is unlawful to operate a snowmobile with an exhaust system that has been modified in a manner that amplifies or otherwise increases total noise emission above that of the snowmobile as originally constructed, regardless of the date of manufacture.
• A snowmobile manufactured on or before October 1, 1973, is not subject to a specific noise level, except that a person may not operate a snowmobile modified in violation of subparagraph (3) as described in the previous bullet.