§ 3205. Snowmobile equipment; windshield; use of headlight; illegal noise level; exemption from equipment requirement

(a) Snowmobile; required equipment. All snowmobiles shall be equipped with one or more operational:

(1) headlight;

(2) red rear light;

(3) a fully functional brake in good mechanical condition;

(4) efficient muffler; and

(5) such other equipment and devices as may be required to meet the noise level specifications of subsection (d) of this section.

(b) Windshield. If the snowmobile is equipped with a windshield, it shall be free from sharp or jagged edges.

(c) Light. Lights shall be on during operation and the lenses of headlights shall be clear, as supplied by the manufacturer, and unimpaired by the installation of colored lenses or other devices that would impair the ability of the headlight to perform to its original equipment design specifications.

(d) Muffler devices, noise levels. Any snowmobile manufactured on or after the following dates shall be equipped with a muffler system and such other equipment or devices which reduce maximum machine operating noise to a noise level of not more than:

(1) as of September 1, 1972, 82 decibels on the A scale at 50 feet, in a normal operating environment;

(2) as of September 1, 1973, at such level as established by the Commissioner by rule except that the level may not exceed the level established in subdivision (1) of this subsection.

(e) Prohibited sale; illegal noise level; notice to consumer. No person shall sell for operation, or offer to sell for operation within the State of Vermont:

(1) A snowmobile manufactured after the dates specified in subsection (d) of this section unless it complies with the sound requirements specified in subsection (d) of this section.

(2) No snowmobile shall be equipped in any manner which permits the operator thereof to bypass the muffler system.

(3) Replacement exhaust muffler. No person shall sell or offer to sell a replacement exhaust muffler system which will not meet or exceed the exhaust noise reduction capabilities of the snowmobile manufacturer's original equipment specifications for the snowmobile.

(4) Consumer information on noise levels. Any person selling or offering to sell a snowmobile or replacement muffler system shall include in the specifications thereof precise information concerning the designed maximum sound levels of the snowmobile or replacement muffler system.

(f) Exemption from equipment requirements; racing contest. This section shall not apply to any snowmobile entered in a racing contest sponsored by a racing or snowmobile club, organization, or association during the period the snowmobile is actually participating in or practicing or preparing for a racing event at an area especially provided for the purpose. (Added 1983, No. 212 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; amended 1993, No. 234 (Adj. Sess.), § 4, eff. Nov. 1, 1994; 2001, No. 126 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. June 12, 2002; 2015, No. 47, § 46.)