From a press release issued by the State of California:

New California OHV Noise Regulations To be Strictly Enforced

The California Department of Parks and Recreation announced that effective July 15, 2003, new noise regulations will be strictly enforced for all off-highway motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles that are operated at all State Vehicular Recreation Areas.

The new regulations bring California’s off-road noise emissions levels down from one of the worst in the nation to one of the best, reducing the maximum decibel level standard from 101 decibels to 96 decibels.

“The importance of this can’t be underscored enough. Noise is the most threatening aspect to California’s Off-Highway Vehicle program,” said Tony Perez, Chief of California State Parks’ Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division. “That is why the Division intends to be very aggressive in dealing with this issue.

“We’ve already started testing and the results so far have been very positive. After 10 months of testing 3,190 off-highway vehicles at the Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area, the Division found that 84 percent of the vehicles tested passed,” Perez added.

The following noise requirements will be strictly enforced:

If your OHV was manufactured before January 1, 1986, the noise limit is 101 decibels.

If your OHV was manufactured after January 1, 1986, the noise limit is 96 decibels.

If your “competition” OHV was manufactured before January 1, 1998, the noise limit is 101 decibels.

If your “competition” OHV was manufactured after January 1, 1998, the noise limit is 96 decibels.

According to the standards, “competition” off-highway vehicles are those that are not manufactured to comply with EPA noise or California emission standards.

For information on the designation of your OHV, refer to your owner’s manual or contact your local dealership.

The new noise law is a key element of AB 2274, signed into law by Governor Gray Davis in September 2002 and which went into effect January 1, 2003. AB 2274 represents the most sweeping reform of California’s off-highway vehicle program in its 30-year history. It drew bipartisan support in the Legislature, and won the support of both environmental organizations and off-road recreation groups.