commercial trucks approach Golden city limits as they drive down Clear Creek Canyon along U.S. Highway 6
On March 5, commercial trucks approach Golden city limits as they drive down Clear Creek Canyon along U.S. Highway 6. Legislators from Golden and surrounding areas have introduced a bill that would help enforce a muffler requirement on all commercial vehicles. Credit: Corinne Westeman

Exactly two years from now, the highways around Golden and all over Colorado should be much quieter, improving residents’ quality of life.

The Colorado legislature passed and Gov. Jared Polis recently signed into law a bill that gives law enforcement officers new methods to ensure all commercial vehicles have mufflers, as already required by law.

The law, which was introduced as HB25-1039, will take effect July 1, 2027.

Organizers said they’ve been working on the bill for two years and were excited to see it become law, adding how it wouldn’t have been possible without all the partners’ collaboration.

On May 15 in Georgetown, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, seated, signs into law a bill that will help enforce a muffler requirement on all commercial vehicles.
On May 15 in Georgetown, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, seated, signs into law a bill that will help enforce a muffler requirement on all commercial vehicles. The bill was sponsored by legislators representing Jefferson and Clear Creek counties, among others. Credit: Colorado Governor's Office

During its time in the legislature, HB25-1039 had bipartisan and bicameral support. It was also backed by the Colorado Motor Carriers Association, the Golden City Council, and residents in Jefferson and Clear Creek counties, among others.

Rep. Brianna Titone, who represents the Golden area and was one of the bill’s sponsors, said she knows many people around Golden and across Colorado whose lives are impacted by continual truck noise. She’d hoped to bring them relief sooner, but she said the two-year wait period was a necessary compromise due to budgetary reasons.

Under HB25-1039, the Colorado Department of Revenue’s computer systems would have to be upgraded to keep records of all muffler violations, she and former Golden City Councilor Casey Brown explained.

The DOR’s systems were already set to be upgraded by 2027. Thus, proponents could make the bill little to no cost by “piggybacking” on those scheduled upgrades, Brown said, which was advantageous in the legislature’s “tight budget environment.”

On May 15 in Georgetown, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis hosts a bill-signing ceremony for HB25-1039, which will help enforce a muffler requirement on all commercial vehicles
On May 15 in Georgetown, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis hosts a bill-signing ceremony for HB25-1039, which will help enforce a muffler requirement on all commercial vehicles. The bill was sponsored by legislators representing Jefferson and Clear Creek counties, among others. Credit: Colorado Governor's Office

Brown, who has been championing HB25-1039 on behalf of the Golden City Council, hoped the Colorado Department of Transportation and Colorado State Patrol would start education efforts in the coming months. Not only would it help truck drivers learn about the new law before it takes effect, but it might also help reduce truck noise in the intervening 24 months, he said.

Titone also expected some kind of education campaign for truck drivers, whether by state officials, industry associations or both.

She also clarified how this new law will only apply to commercial vehicles of a certain weight, not passenger vehicles. Farm vehicles and electric vehicles are also exempted.

“We just want to make sure people aren’t caught off-guard; we don’t want to fine anybody for any of this,” Titone said. “ … We want to make sure those living near the highway aren’t paying the price for the vanity of having a loud truck.”

Residents of Jefferson and Clear Creek counties, among others, gather in Georgetown May 15 for a bill-signing ceremony
Residents of Jefferson and Clear Creek counties, among others, gather in Georgetown May 15 for a bill-signing ceremony. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed into law HB25-1039, which will help enforce a muffler requirement on all commercial vehicles. Credit: Colorado Governor's Office

While it won’t take effect for two years, Brown hoped this new law would not only benefit Colorado but other states as well. He believed they could use HB25-1039 as a template to address the truck noise impacting their residents’ quality of life.

“It took a while, but I’m just really happy,” Brown said of getting HB25-1039 written and passed. “I know it takes a while to implement, but I hope we will see some real relief and see a lot more compliance (when it goes into effect).”

‘Do the right thing’

According to Colorado Motor Carriers Association President Greg Fulton, although commercial vehicles are required by law to have a muffler, some truck drivers have intentionally removed their mufflers.

Fulton previously described how some “renegade” drivers like the “clean look” of a truck without a muffler, along with the attention they get by generating loud noises when they drive.

On March 5, a commercial truck drives down Highway 93 toward the intersection with U.S. Highway 6 and Highway 58 in Golden
On March 5, a commercial truck drives down Highway 93 toward the intersection with U.S. Highway 6 and Highway 58 in Golden. With several highways in and around Golden city limits, residents have long complained about truck noise impacting their quality of life. Credit: Corinne Westeman

If these drivers are contacted by law enforcement regarding their muffler, or lack thereof, Fulton said they can skirt around the requirement by claiming their muffler is the kind that is inside the truck’s exhaust stack.

These kinds of mufflers are real but rare, he explained, but it’s difficult to prove whether a truck really has one.

Under HB25-1039, though, all commercial vehicles will be required to either have a visible muffler or documentation proving the muffler is inside the exhaust stack. This will close the loophole that a very small but loud minority of drivers have been exploiting for years, he continued.

Even before the bill was signed into law, Fulton was confident that word would get out and those drivers without mufflers would come into compliance.

“We want to incentivize people to do the right thing,” he said.

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