Virginia: Is it legal to put a train horn on a car?
Virginia allows only State Police-approved warning devices on public roads and bans unreasonably loud or harsh horn sounds; air horns aren't addressed for cars.
A car must have a working horn that can be heard from 200 feet. The law bans sirens, whistles and horns 'except as may be authorized,' requires any warning device used on a public highway to be a type approved by the State Police superintendent, and forbids unreasonably loud or harsh horn sounds. Only common carriers and very large, heavy vehicles get special warning devices, so a train horn on a car very likely fails these rules, though no source names train horns.
Conditions
- Horn must be audible from at least 200 feet
- Warning devices must be a type approved by the State Police superintendent
- No unreasonably loud or harsh horn sound
- Horn may be used only as a reasonable warning
What the law says
It shall be unlawful for any vehicle to be equipped with or for any person to use on any vehicle any siren or exhaust, compression or spark plug whistle, or horn except as may be authorized in this title. It shall be unlawful for any vehicle operated on a public highway to be equipped with any warning device that is not of a type that has been approved by the Superintendent. It shall further be unlawful for any person at any time to use a horn otherwise than as a reasonable warning or to make any unnecessary or unreasonably loud or harsh sound by means of a horn or other warning device. However, vehicles of common carriers or extraordinarily large and heavy vehicles may be equipped with such type of warning device as the Superintendent may require or permit.
Sources
- Va. Code § 46.2-1060 Official · law.lis.virginia.gov
- Va. Code § 46.2-1059 Official · law.lis.virginia.gov
- Va. Code §§ 46.2-1061, 46.2-1062 (Article 7) Official · law.lis.virginia.gov
- 19VAC30-70-610 (inspection: horn) Official · law.lis.virginia.gov
Confirm with the state
- Agency
- Virginia State Police
- Phone
- (804) 674-2000
- Website
- vsp.virginia.gov
How bordering states compare
- Kentucky Allowed with limitsKentucky sets no horn loudness limit but bars sirens, whistles, and bells on non-emergency vehicles.
- Maryland Allowed with limitsMaryland bans horns that make an unreasonably loud or harsh sound or a whistle, which a typical train horn likely fails.
- North Carolina Allowed with limitsNorth Carolina has no express train-horn ban, but making unreasonably loud or harsh sounds with a horn is illegal.
- Tennessee Allowed with limitsTennessee bans sirens and exhaust, compression or spark plug whistles, and forbids unreasonably loud or harsh horn sounds, without naming air horns.
- West Virginia Allowed with limitsWest Virginia bars unreasonably loud or harsh horns and whistles, and bans sirens, whistles and bells on ordinary vehicles.