HR 1475: Joint Study Committee on Modified Exhaust Systems on Motor Vehicles; create

Georgia law already bans selling mufflers that cause 'excessive or unusual noise,' but the resolution notes that phrase is not defined in the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, making it hard for police to enforce. This resolution sets up the Joint Study Committee on Modified Exhaust Systems on Motor Vehicles to study the problem and recommend fixes. The committee would have seven members, four appointed by the Speaker of the House and three by the President of the Senate, each side naming a cochairperson. It would review Georgia's current penalties, consider whether shops that install loud exhaust systems should face accountability, and look at whether police should be allowed to use handheld decibel meters, as some other states do. The committee must file any findings or proposed legislation before it is abolished on December 1, 2026.

• Creates the Joint Study Committee on Modified Exhaust Systems on Motor Vehicles, made up of seven legislators from the House and Senate.
• Directs the committee to study how Georgia defines 'excessive or unusual noise' from vehicle mufflers and recommend clearer legal standards.
• Asks the committee to evaluate whether businesses that modify exhaust systems should be held accountable for resulting noise.
• Directs the committee to study other states' use of handheld decibel meters by law enforcement and whether Georgia should adopt similar tools.
• Sets member travel and expense allowances under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, capped at three paid days unless more are authorized.
• Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2026, requiring any report to be filed before that date.

Members of the Georgia House of Representatives and Senate appointed to the committee, state and local law enforcement agencies responsible for enforcing noise laws, drivers who modify vehicle exhaust systems, and businesses that perform exhaust modification services.

If enforcement gaps around vague noise standards get clarified through future legislation the committee recommends, drivers with loud modified exhausts, the shops that install them, and police who currently struggle to cite violators could all see clearer rules and new enforcement tools like decibel meters.

• Paragraph (1) creates the Joint Study Committee on Modified Exhaust Systems on Motor Vehicles.
• Paragraph (2) sets committee membership at seven: four House members appointed by the Speaker and three Senate members appointed by the President, each chamber naming a cochairperson.
• Paragraph (3) directs the committee to study the issues raised in the resolution and recommend action or legislation as it sees fit.
• Paragraph (5) ties member allowances to O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8 and limits paid days to three unless additional days are approved, funded from existing legislative appropriations.
• Paragraph (6) requires any approved findings or legislative recommendations to be filed as a report with the Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate before abolishment.
• Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 1, 2026.

1. 2026-03-03House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
2. 2026-03-03House Second Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-26House First Readers (House)
4. 2026-02-25House Hopper (House)

• Matt Dubnik (R, HD-029)Primary sponsor
• Marvin Lim (D, HD-098)
• Stacey Evans (D, HD-057)
• Betsy Holland (D, HD-054)
• Bryce Berry (D, HD-056)
• Gabriel Sanchez (D, HD-042)

• vehicle noise
• exhaust systems
• law enforcement
• legislative study committee