Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110
§4905 Noise Emission Standards for Products Distributed in Commerce
Title 42 › CHAPTER 65 — NOISE CONTROL › § 4905
Summary
The Administrator must write and publish proposed rules to limit noise from products that reports call major noise sources, when noise limits are possible. The rules must cover products like construction gear, transportation equipment (including recreational vehicles), motors/engines, and electrical or electronic gear. The first proposed rules had to be published within 18 months after October 27, 1972. If a product is named in a later report, proposed rules for it must be published within 18 months after that report. Final rules can’t be issued sooner than 6 months after the proposals. For products in the first batch, final rules had to be in place by 24 months after October 27, 1972. For later ones, final rules must be issued within 24 months after the report that named them. The Administrator may also propose rules on other products if needed to protect public health. Rules must set performance-based noise limits that protect health and welfare. The Administrator must consider how the product is used, how much noise can be cut with the best available technology, and the cost to comply. The rules can include testing methods and manufacturer instructions. The public must be allowed to take part in rulemaking. Manufacturers must warranty new products meet the rules at sale, and dealers cannot be forced to pay those costs. If a State wants stricter limits, it can ask the Administrator to revise a standard; the Administrator must announce the petition and, within 90 days, either propose revised rules or explain why not. States may still regulate how and where products are used to control noise.
Full Legal Text
Title 42, §4905
The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Proposed regulations
(1)The Administrator shall publish proposed regulations, meeting the requirements of subsection (c), for each product—
(A)which is identified (or is part of a class identified) in any report published under section 4904(b)(1) of this title as a major source of noise,
(B)for which, in his judgment, noise emission standards are feasible, and
(C)which falls in one of the following categories:
(i)Construction equipment.
(ii)Transportation equipment (including recreational vehicles and related equipment).
(iii)Any motor or engine (including any equipment of which an engine or motor is an integral part).
(iv)Electrical or electronic equipment.
(2)(A)Initial proposed regulations under paragraph (1) shall be published not later than eighteen months after October 27, 1972, and shall apply to any product described in paragraph (1) which is identified (or is a part of a class identified) as a major source of noise in any report published under section 4904(b)(1) of this title on or before the date of publication of such initial proposed regulations.
(B)In the case of any product described in paragraph (1) which is identified (or is part of a class identified) as a major source of noise in a report published under section 4904(b)(1) of this title after publication of the initial proposed regulations under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, regulations under paragraph (1) for such product shall be proposed and published by the Administrator not later than eighteen months after such report is published.
(3)After proposed regulations respecting a product have been published under paragraph (2), the Administrator shall, unless in his judgment noise emission standards are not feasible for such product, prescribe regulations, meeting the requirements of subsection (c), for such product—
(A)not earlier than six months after publication of such proposed regulations, and
(B)not later than—
(i)twenty-four months after October 27, 1972, in the case of a product subject to proposed regulations published under paragraph (2)(A), or
(ii)in the case of any other product, twenty-four months after the publication of the report under section 4904(b)(1) of this title identifying it (or a class of products of which it is a part) as a major source of noise.
(b)Authority to publish regulations not otherwise required
The Administrator may publish proposed regulations, meeting the requirements of subsection (c), for any product for which he is not required by subsection (a) to prescribe regulations but for which, in his judgment, noise emission standards are feasible and are requisite to protect the public health and welfare. Not earlier than six months after the date of publication of such proposed regulations respecting such product, he may prescribe regulations, meeting the requirements of subsection (c), for such product.
(c)Contents of regulations; appropriate consideration of other standards; participation by interested persons; revision
(1)Any regulation prescribed under subsection (a) or (b) of this section (and any revision thereof) respecting a product shall include a noise emission standard which shall set limits on noise emissions from such product and shall be a standard which in the Administrator’s judgment, based on criteria published under section 4904 of this title, is requisite to protect the public health and welfare, taking into account the magnitude and conditions of use of such product (alone or in combination with other noise sources), the degree of noise reduction achievable through the application of the best available technology, and the cost of compliance. In establishing such a standard for any product, the Administrator shall give appropriate consideration to standards under other laws designed to safeguard the health and welfare of persons, including any standards under chapter 301 of title 49, the Clean Air Act [42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.], and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act [33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.]. Any such noise emission standards shall be a performance standard. In addition, any regulation under subsection (a) or (b) (and any revision thereof) may contain testing procedures necessary to assure compliance with the emission standard in such regulation, and may contain provisions respecting instructions of the manufacturer for the maintenance, use, or repair of the product.
(2)After publication of any proposed regulations under this section, the Administrator shall allow interested persons an opportunity to participate in rulemaking in accordance with the first sentence of section 553(c) of title 5.
(3)The Administrator may revise any regulation prescribed by him under this section by (A) publication of proposed revised regulations, and (B) the promulgation, not earlier than six months after the date of such publication, of regulations making the revision; except that a revision which makes only technical or clerical corrections in a regulation under this section may be promulgated earlier than six months after such date if the Administrator finds that such earlier promulgation is in the public interest.
(d)Warranty by manufacturer of conformity of product with regulations; transfer of cost obligation from manufacturer to dealer prohibited
(1)On and after the effective date of any regulation prescribed under subsection (a) or (b) of this section, the manufacturer of each new product to which such regulation applies shall warrant to the ultimate purchaser and each subsequent purchaser that such product is designed, built, and equipped so as to conform at the time of sale with such regulation.
(2)Any cost obligation of any dealer incurred as a result of any requirement imposed by paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be borne by the manufacturer. The transfer of any such cost obligation from a manufacturer to any dealer through franchise or other agreement is prohibited.
(3)If a manufacturer includes in any advertisement a statement respecting the cost or value of noise emission control devices or systems, such manufacturer shall set forth in such statement the cost or value attributed to such devices or systems by the Secretary of Labor (through the Bureau of Labor Statistics). The Secretary of Labor, and his representatives, shall have the same access for this purpose to the books, documents, papers, and records of a manufacturer as the Comptroller General has to those of a recipient of assistance for purposes of section 311 of the Clean Air Act [42 U.S.C. 7611].
(e)State and local regulations
(1)No State or political subdivision thereof may adopt or enforce—
(A)with respect to any new product for which a regulation has been prescribed by the Administrator under this section, any law or regulation which sets a limit on noise emissions from such new product and which is not identical to such regulation of the Administrator; or
(B)with respect to any component incorporated into such new product by the manufacturer of such product, any law or regulation setting a limit on noise emissions from such component when so incorporated.
(2)Subject to section 4916 and 4917 of this title, nothing in this section precludes or denies the right of any State or political subdivision thereof to establish and enforce controls on environmental noise (or one or more sources thereof) through the licensing, regulation, or restriction of the use, operation, or movement of any product or combination of products.
(f)Publication of notice of receipt of revision petitions and proposed revised regulations
At any time after the promulgation of regulations respecting a product under this section, a State or political subdivision thereof may petition the Administrator to revise such standard on the grounds that a more stringent standard under subsection (c) of this section is necessary to protect the public health and welfare. The Administration shall publish notice of receipt of such petition in the Federal Register and shall within ninety days of receipt of such petition respond by (1) publication of proposed revised regulations in accordance with subsection (c)(3) of this section, or (2) publication in the Federal Register of a decision not to publish such proposed revised regulations at that time, together with a detailed explanation for such decision.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The Clean Air Act, referred to in subsec. (c)(1), is act July 14, 1955, ch. 360, 69 Stat. 322, which is classified generally to chapter 85 (§ 7401 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see
Short Title
note set out under section 7401 of this title and Tables. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act, referred to in subsec. (c)(1), is act June 30, 1948, ch. 758, as amended generally by Pub. L. 92–500, § 2, Oct. 18, 1972, 86 Stat. 816, which is classified generally to chapter 26 (§ 1251 et seq.) of Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see
Short Title
note set out under section 1251 of Title 33 and Tables. Codification In subsec. (c)(1), “chapter 301 of title 49” substituted for “the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 [15 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.]” on authority of Pub. L. 103–272, § 6(b), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1378, the first section of which enacted subtitles II, III, and V to X of Title 49, Transportation.
Amendments
1978—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 95–609 added subsec. (f).
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
42 U.S.C. § 4905
Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110