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An illustration of a car, a truck, a train, a ship and a plane.
(Provided by Gigafact.)

Yes.

State law prohibits any changes to vehicle exhaust systems that increase the noise mufflers make. 

Coloradans can replace their mufflers with alternative models only if they make the car no louder than the original muffler. All motor vehicles are required to have an “adequate” muffler ​​to “prevent any excessive or unusual noise,” and modifications that cut off or bypass mufflers are banned by state law. 

Most people ticketed for the Class B traffic infraction face a maximum fine of $100, but drivers of commercial vehicles can be fined up to $1,000 starting July 1, 2027.

Some cities and counties have noise prohibitions that may apply to mufflers. Denver limits daytime noise in public places, including from vehicles, to 75 decibels. Colorado Springs limits noise from motor vehicles under 10,000 pounds to 85 decibels. 

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Sources

References:

Mufflers — prevention of noise, Colorado Revised Statutes Section 42-4-225, accessed December 2025. Source link

Class B Traffic Infractions, Colorado General Assembly, May 7, 2014. Source link

Noise Control, Denver Code of Ordinances Section 36-8, accessed December 2025. Source link

Vehicle Noise Limits, Colorado Springs Code of Ordinances Section 9.8.201, accessed December 2025. Source link

Type of Story: Fact-Check

Checks a specific statement or set of statements asserted as fact.

Cassis Tingley is a Denver-based freelance journalist. She’s spent the last three years covering topics ranging from political organizing and death doulas in the Denver community to academic freedom and administrative accountability at the...