Sound truck rules: checklist

Rules for sound trucks in the US are set locally, by each city or county, and sometimes by the state. This checklist covers what local rules usually ask for, so you know what to confirm before you run a route. It doesn't know your city's specific rules, and it isn't legal advice. Check with the local authority where you'll be driving.

Before the route

Permit

• Does the city require a permit for amplified sound from a vehicle?
• Who issues it: the police department, the city clerk or a noise control office?
• Is it for a single day, a period or the whole year?
• Does it cover the type of message you'll play? Some cities treat commercial, political and religious messages differently.
• Does the route cross into another city or county? Each one may need its own permit.

Keep the permit in the truck, along with a printed copy of the relevant rule.

Hours

• What hours is amplified sound allowed on weekdays?
• Are weekend and holiday hours different?
• Are the rules for amplified sound from vehicles stricter than the general noise ordinance? They often are.

Volume

• Does the ordinance set a decibel limit? At what distance, or at what point (property line, a set number of feet from the source)?
• Or does it use a standard like "plainly audible" at a certain distance?
• Is the limit lower in residential areas or at certain times?

Quiet zones

• Hospitals, nursing homes and clinics.
• Schools, during school hours.
• Places of worship, during services.
• Courthouses and other posted quiet zones.

Mark them on the route map and plan to avoid them or turn the sound off while passing.

Stationary or moving

• Can you play while parked? For how long?
• Is there a minimum speed or a rule about blocking traffic?

Vehicle and business documents

• Current registration and inspection, where required.
• Commercial auto insurance that covers business use and the mounted equipment.
• Business license, if your city or county requires one.
• Driver's license valid for the vehicle.

The message

• Approved by the client, in writing.
• No claims the client can't back up.
• Required disclosures for political ads, such as a "paid for by" line.
• Music licensed for advertising. Popular songs need licenses you probably don't have.

Controlling volume in practice

Most enforcement starts with a complaint. Keeping the volume reasonable is the best way to avoid one.

Measure. Use a handheld sound level meter or a calibrated meter app. Measure at the distance your ordinance specifies. If it doesn't say, check at about 50 feet on a normal street.

Set the level once and mark it. Find the setting where the message is clear at the distance you want, and mark the amplifier knob with tape. Don't drift up during the day.

Use audio made for the truck. A mono, heavily compressed file without bass sounds clearer at the same amplifier setting than an unprocessed file. That lets you keep the real output lower. SpotFacil's "sound truck" destination prepares the file this way.

Adjust for the street. Narrow streets with houses near the curb reflect sound. Lower the volume there. Wide commercial avenues can take more.

Turn it off when you should. Near quiet zones, at a red light next to an open café, or when a resident or officer asks you to.

Talk calmly. If someone complains, lower the volume or stop, and show your permit if you're asked. Arguing rarely helps and often leads to a call to the police.

Keep a record

• Route map or GPS track.
• Start and end times.
• The permit number for each city.
• The volume reading you took before starting.

It's useful for the client, and it's your record if anyone questions where and when you played.

Rules change

Ordinances are updated, new permits are created, quiet hours shift. Check the rules again at least once a year and whenever you work in a new city.

This checklist is general information and doesn't replace advice from a lawyer or the local authority.

For reference only. Check your local rules and costs before setting a price or heading out.