Quote:
Originally Posted by darli328
I'll be the first to admit that I haven't read every law on the issue and that I may be reading/interpreting them incorrectly. Which is why I want to find out more information on the issue.
RCW 46.37.390
Mufflers required — Smoke and air contaminant standards — Definitions — Penalty, exception.
(3) No person shall modify the exhaust system of a motor vehicle in a manner which will amplify or increase the noise emitted by the engine of such vehicle above that emitted by the muffler originally installed on the vehicle, and it shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle not equipped as required by this subsection, or which has been amplified as prohibited by this subsection. A court may dismiss an infraction notice for a violation of this subsection if there is reasonable grounds to believe that the vehicle was not operated in violation of this subsection.
This subsection (3) does not apply to vehicles twenty-five or more years old or to passenger vehicles being operated off the highways in an organized racing or competitive event conducted by a recognized sanctioning body.
Please correct me if I'm wrong but the way I read that law, any aftermarket exhaust which is louder than stock is technically illegal in the state of Washington. Realistically I know you're not going to get fined for installing an aftermarket cat back exhaust but I would like to know the intent of the law.
Also, back to your emission registration comment. While I understand that a 2009 or newer cars are exempt from actual emission testing but according to section 5 of RCW 46.16A.060 it's still required for all vehicles to meet CARB standards which includes our cars even if they are exempt from testing. Here's a copy of the law and please let me know what you think on section 5. The way I read that is in order to legally register any car in Washington (with the exemptions of older cares, blah blah) the car has to meet CARB standards. Or does this regard to something else? Any advise information or input on the these issues would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
RCW 46.16A.060
Registration — Emission control inspections required — Exemptions — Educational information — Rules.
(1) The department, county auditor or other agent, or subagent appointed by the director may not issue or renew a motor vehicle registration or change the registered owner of a registered vehicle for any motor vehicle required to be inspected under chapter 70.120 RCW, unless the application for issuance or renewal is: (a) Accompanied by a valid certificate of compliance or a valid certificate of acceptance issued as required under chapter 70.120 RCW; or (b) exempt, as described in subsection (2) of this section. The certificates must have a date of validation that is within twelve months of the assigned registration renewal date. Certificates for fleet or owner tested diesel vehicles may have a date of validation that is within twelve months of the assigned registration renewal date.
(2) The following motor vehicles are exempt from emission test requirements:
(a) Motor vehicles that are less than five years old or more than twenty-five years old;
(b) Motor vehicles that are a 2009 model year or newer;
(c) Motor vehicles powered exclusively by electricity, propane, compressed natural gas, or liquid petroleum gas;
(d) Motorcycles as defined in RCW 46.04.330 and motor-driven cycles as defined in RCW 46.04.332;
(e) Farm vehicles as defined in RCW 46.04.181;
(f) Street rod vehicles as defined in RCW 46.04.572 and custom vehicles as defined in RCW 46.04.161;
(g) Used vehicles that are offered for sale by a motor vehicle dealer licensed under chapter 46.70 RCW;
(h) Classes of motor vehicles exempted by the director of the department of ecology; and
(i) Hybrid motor vehicles that obtain a rating by the environmental protection agency of at least fifty miles per gallon of gas during city driving. For purposes of this section, a hybrid motor vehicle is one that uses propulsion units powered by both electricity and gas.
(3) The department of ecology shall provide information to motor vehicle owners:
(a) Regarding the boundaries of emission contributing areas and restrictions established under this section that apply to vehicles registered in such areas; and
(b) On the relationship between motor vehicles and air pollution and steps motor vehicle owners should take to reduce motor vehicle related air pollution.
(4) The department of licensing shall:
(a) Notify all registered motor vehicle owners affected by the emission testing program that they must have an emission test to renew their registration;
(b) Adopt rules implementing and enforcing this section, except for subsection (2)(e) of this section, as specified in chapter 34.05 RCW.
(5) A motor vehicle may not be registered, leased, rented, or sold for use in the state, starting with the model year as provided in RCW 70.120A.010, unless the vehicle:
(a) Has seven thousand five hundred miles or more; or
(b)(i) Is consistent with the vehicle emission standards and carbon dioxide equivalent emission standards adopted by the department of ecology; and
(ii) Has a California certification label for all emission standards, and carbon dioxide equivalent emission standards necessary to meet fleet average requirements.
(6) The department of licensing, in consultation with the department of ecology, may adopt rules necessary to implement this section and may provide for reasonable exemptions to these requirements. The department of ecology may exempt public safety vehicles from meeting the standards where the department finds that vehicles necessary to meet the needs of public safety agencies are not otherwise reasonably available.
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On the exhaust thing, yes, they'll write you a ticket for having anything other than the stock exhaust...especially in Federal Way. So if you have a cat-back on your car, you're breaking the law. You may get away with it for as long as you own the car, or you can get popped every other week. It just depends on the police officer that sees/hears your car and what part of town you are in. Some of them are haters and other don't care. Drive like a douche and mouth off to the cop, and he'll probably tack it on top of whatever he was going to write you up for...even if he normally didn't care. Also, the more obnoxious the exhaust sounds or looks, the more likely you are to get stopped for having an illegal exhaust.
CARB stands for the California Air Resources Board and is the agency that deals with aftermarket automotive parts among other things. Washington has no such agency. Let me just ask you a quick question. Do you interpret that law to mean that every time you want to register your car in Washington that you have to drive it down to a California smog station to get it certified?
That law basically means that the car has to have one of the stickers under the hood that looks like the one below for California emissions.
That's it. It doesn't require California Executive Order numbers or anything of the sort. However, if you want to interpret it such that you can't do anything to your car, then that is your choice. If I were you, I'd hop onto a local forum and check with other enthusiasts as this thread isn't really intended to be a Q&A on Washington laws.