Can other people hear your car stereo 25 feet away? Under a law that goes into effect on July 1, Florida law enforcement officers can give citations for loud music coming from a vehicle if it is “plainly audible at a distance of 25 feet or more.”

Violators can be fined up to $115.

Florida Statute 316.3045 states: It is unlawful for any person operating or occupying a motor vehicle on a street or highway to operate or amplify the sound produced by a radio, tape player, or other mechanical sound making device or instrument from within the motor vehicle so that the sound is:

• Plainly audible at a distance of 25 feet or more from the motor vehicle; or
• Louder than necessary for the convenient hearing by persons inside the vehicle in areas adjoining churches, schools, or hospitals.

The rule does not apply to motor vehicles used for business or political purposes, which in the normal course of conducting such business use sound making devices. The rules also do not apply to horns or other warning devices.

A violation of this statute is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a non-moving violation as provided in chapter 318.