A growing number of U.S. cities are installing noise cameras — roadside devices that use microphones, cameras and software to pinpoint loud vehicles and, in some places, issue citations automatically. At least 10 jurisdictions have deployed or piloted the technology in recent years, and more are weighing whether to follow.
New York City has one of the most established programs. Its Department of Environmental Protection ran 12 cameras in 2025 that recorded 15,994 noise events and generated 1,691 summonses for excessive engine or muffler noise, plus certain horn and vehicle-music violations. A muffler violation there carries a minimum penalty of $800 and can reach $2,625. The equipment, made by U.K.-based Intelligent Instruments Ltd. under the name SoundVue, combines microphone arrays with video and a license plate reader; city staff review the evidence before issuing a summons.
Knoxville, Tennessee, uses a mobile version of similar technology to log the time, location, vehicle type and license plate tied to loud-noise events, but the city currently does not issue camera-generated citations — only warnings. Miami Beach tested three Intelligent Instruments systems, though Florida law barred the city from using camera evidence for automated citations during that pilot. Miami Beach has since shifted to a different model: a year-long
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