A Connecticut law allowing communities to use technology to detect excessive vehicle noise and issue citations is beginning to take effect in some municipalities.
West Haven officials recently approved an ordinance permitting noise-detection devices to be installed along sections of the shoreline, where residents have complained about loud vehicles.
“The focus is down our shoreline. That’s where we get the most complaints,” Mayor Dorinda Borer said.
West Haven has long had a local noise ordinance, but a state law passed in 2024 allows municipalities to use noise-enforcement technology to help identify violations.
Borer said the complaints most often involve vehicles with modified mufflers or drivers revving their engines.
The city has purchased four noise-detection devices and expects to install them along the shoreline within the next one to two months.
“We’re going to put them where we get the most complaints from,” Borer said.
Before the devices are activated, city officials said they will be tested and calibrated to ensure they accurately measure sound levels and are set to the proper decibel thresholds.
Under the system, officials said the devices can detect when a vehicle exceeds a predetermined noise limit. If a violation occurs, a camera would capture the vehicle, and a citation could be issued to the registered owner.
Borer said the technology is designed to detect excessive vehicle noise, not record conversations or monitor personal communications.
“It’s just another tool for our police officers,” she said.
Residents had mixed opinions about the city’s plan.
“Maybe in certain areas, maybe where older people live, they should be enforced,” said Xiomairaliz Ayala of Meriden. “But I think it’s a little excessive.”
West Haven resident Mark Fournier said his opinion depends on where someone lives.
“The people that live on the main roads, it bothers them more,” Fournier said. “I have mixed feelings on it.”
