---
title: "Florida Can Now Fine You $115 for Playing Loud Music In Your Car"
description: "If your music is audible 25 feet from your car, police in Florida can now hit you with a hefty fine under a new law."
date: "2022-07-07"
modified: "2022-07-07"
authors:
  - name: "James Gilboy"
    job_title: "Contributing Writer"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/james-gilboy"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/florida-can-now-fine-you-115-for-playing-loud-music-in-your-car"
categories:
  - "Culture"
  - "News"
---

# Florida Can Now Fine You $115 for Playing Loud Music In Your Car

![Trunk full of speakers](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/07/GettyImages-2560596.jpg>)
*HEMPSTEAD, NY - OCTOBER 4:  Subwoofers at the Power 105.1 & LL Cool J Present: Hip Hop Car Show October 4, 2003 in Hempstead, New York.  (Photo by Matthew Peyton/Getty Images)*

Florida police can now ticket drivers whose [music](<https://www.thedrive.com/guides-and-gear/the-drive-staffs-ultimate-car-stereo-test-playlist>) is audible outside their cars, thanks to a [new law](<https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.3045.html>) on July 1.

According to *[NBC Miami](<https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/new-florida-law-makes-blasting-music-in-car-a-punishable-offense/2791819/>)*, vehicles with "plainly audible" stereos, instruments, or other devices that can be heard from 25 feet away or farther can be ticketed. The law also allows drivers to be ticketed if they play music "louder than necessary" outside [churches](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/13229/at-the-drive-in-church-florida-congregants-pray-from-their-cars>), hospitals, or schools. Violators reportedly will be hit with fines of up to $115.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUvRob5qiZ4

Naturally, the ordnance does not apply to horns, emergency vehicles, commercial vehicles that generate noise as part of business operations (like [ice cream trucks](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/2848/behind-the-scenes-at-mr-softees-ice-cream-truck-garage>)), or vehicles serving dedicated political purposes. At least one county sheriff's department in Broward County said its deputies would only issue warnings for the first month to give the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles time to legally define "plainly audible" and establish standards for how sound will be measured for enforcement. The law also covers loud exhausts, though [laws against such are already on the books](<https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.293.html#:~:text=(a)%20No%20person%20shall%20modify,the%20vehicle%20as%20originally%20manufactured.>).

"We look for the more egregious violations that you can pretty much hear coming from a block away," said Police Captain Tim McCarthy to *NBC Miami*. "So it is easy for us to make notations on the citations that the sound was heard from several car lengths away, maybe even a half a block.”

People have criticized the law on [Facebook](<https://www.facebook.com/NBC6SouthFlorida/posts/pfbid02U4kmBrm4JxiejUHdWAcvhbMmSxKeaAmZrDHj5hTRiyT3aieipTBJMTuG6ZMcQWoBl>), with some describing it as a "revenue device." Another commenter wrote, "if the punishment is just a fine, then it is only a crime if you are poor." *[*Caribbean National Weekly*](<https://www.caribbeannationalweekly.com/news/local-news/loud-music-banned-from-cars-in-florida-as-sound-law-takes-effect/>)* also reports critics have voiced concerns over inconsistent enforcement.

*Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: james@thedrive.com*

## Author
James is a former staff writer for The Drive. He has changed the conversation around electrification, debunked misinformation online, and become a prominent hunter of what he calls "automotive cryptids."

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/jamesgilboy>)