HB 5462 — AN ACT CONCERNING NOISE POLLUTION.

House of Representatives General Assembly SubstituteFile Bill No.

5462388 February Session, 2026 ANSubstitute ACTHouse CONCERNINGBill NOISENo. POLLUTION.

5462 House of Representatives, April 2, 2026 The Committee on Transportation reported through REP.

BERGER-GIRVALO of the 111th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the House, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING NOISE POLLUTION.

The pilot program shall include the design, installation, operation, maintenance and evaluation ofat least one,one,but but not more thanthree, solar photovoltaicnoise barriers.

The commissioner may enter into agreements with third parties for the design, installation, operation or maintenance, or any combination thereof,sHB5462 of/ solarFile photovoltaicNo. noise barriers.

388 1 sHB5462 File No.

388 thereof, of solar photovoltaic noise barriers.

(c) Not later than January 1, 2028, the commissioner shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly LCOhaving 1cognizance of 4matters Substituterelating Billto No.transportation.

5462 having cognizance of matters relating to transportation.

(3) No person, including a motor vehicle dealer or repairer or a motorcyclesHB5462 dealer,/ shallFile removeNo. all or part of any muffler on a motor vehicle except to repair or replace the muffler or part for the more effective prevention of noise.

388 2 sHB5462 File No.

388 motorcycle dealer, shall remove all or part of any muffler on a motor vehicle except to repair or replace the muffler or part for the more effective prevention of noise.

LCO(c) 2The engine of 4every Substitutemotor Billvehicle No.shall be equipped and adjusted to prevent excessive fumes or exhaust smoke.

5462 (c) The engine of every motor vehicle shall be equipped and adjusted to prevent excessive fumes or exhaust smoke.

(2)sHB5462 Any/ motorFile vehicleNo. may be equipped with a theft alarm signal device which is so arranged that it cannot be used by the driver as an ordinary warning signal.

(3)388 Any authorized emergency vehicle may be equipped with a siren, whistle or bell, capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than five hundred feet and of a LCO 3 ofsHB5462 4File Substitute Bill No.

5462388 type(2) approvedAny motor vehicle may be equipped with a theft alarm signal device which is so arranged that it cannot be used by the Departmentdriver ofas Motoran Vehicles.ordinary warning signal.

(3) Any authorized emergency vehicle may be equipped with a siren, whistle or bell, capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than five hundred feet and of a type approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

-LCO LCOsHB5462 4/ ofFile 4No.

388 4 sHB5462 File No.

388 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:

Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $ Department of Transportation TF - Cost See Below See Below State Revenues GF&TF - See Below See Below Revenue Gain Note:

TF=Transportation Fund;

GF&TF=General Fund & Transportation Fund Municipal Impact:

None Explanation Section 1 results in costs to the Department of Transportation (DOT) by requiring the agency to establish a solar photovoltaic noise barrier pilot program, which must include the design, installation, operation, maintenance and evaluation of at least one and no more than three barriers.

Costs to establish the pilot program will depend on implementation decisions made by DOT and available funding but could reasonably include the following:

(1) approximately $500,000 annually in consultant and/or staff costs to manage the pilot, including costs for planning, researching, training, evaluation, and reporting, (2) a detailed technical noise study at each site, costing approximately $100,000 per site, (3) construction and installation of the barriers themselves which, according to preliminary DOT research, could be approximately $3 million per mile, and (4) ongoing maintenance costs particular to these Costs for solar photovoltaic noise barriers are difficult to estimate because this technology is not yet widely used on the U.S.

highway system and costs are expected to vary based on local conditions.

For context, traditional noise barrier project costs are approximately $2 million per mile in Connecticut.

sHB5462 / File No.

388 5 sHB5462 File No.

388 barriers, such as more complex vegetative management.

The bill also allows DOT to enter into agreements with third parties for this work which may limit the upfront costs to the state depending on the terms and scope of any agreement.

Section 2 increases the fine, from $150 per offense to $1,000 per offense, for certain noise-related motor vehicle violations, resulting in revenue gain from fines.

2 The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to the timing and scope of the pilot, ongoing maintenance costs,thetermsofany third-party agreement, and the number of offenses.