Planning a trip through the Lech valley or over the Hahntennjoch and wondering whether your bike is allowed there? One figure from your papers decides it: your motorcycle's stationary noise level. In Tyrol it determines whether you may ride certain roads. Germany has no comparable nationwide rule, only individual closures and a political debate. Here is what you should know, what is documented and what remains open.
In short
- Finding the value: Stationary noise is in field U.1 of the German registration certificate Part I, drive-by noise in U.3.
- Tyrol: From 15 April to 31 October, six road sections are closed to single-track vehicles with more than 95 dB(A) stationary noise. There are no exceptions, and the Land Tirol puts the penalty at about 220 euros.
- Germany: There is no nationwide noise ban on the Tyrolean model. Individual authorities may restrict roads for noise protection, but the hurdles are high.
- In practice: Check U.1 before the trip, watch for the letters N and P after the value and do not change the exhaust without the right papers.
What is stationary noise?
Stationary noise is the sound level a motorcycle produces standing still at a set engine speed. It is measured close to the exhaust, which is why it is also called the near-field level. It is determined during type testing and entered in the vehicle papers. That lets the police check at a roadside control whether the exhaust still matches the original condition.
Where is the value in your papers?
The EU directive on vehicle registration documents defines the fields: U.1 is stationary noise in dB(A), U.2 the engine speed at which it was measured and U.3 the drive-by noise in dB(A). The Land Tirol also points to field U.1 in its questions and answers. For the other fields, see our article on German motorcycle documents.
How it differs from drive-by noise
Drive-by noise describes the level while riding, stationary noise the level at standstill. According to MOTORRAD magazine (December 2023), the limit for drive-by noise is 73, 74 or 77 dB(A) depending on the power class. For stationary noise, lawmakers set no limit of their own. The value serves as a reference: a replacement silencer must not exceed the original system. A low drive-by figure therefore says little about where you stand on Tyrolean closed roads. For the Tyrolean bans only U.1 counts.
The letters N and P after the value
On older motorcycles a letter often follows the value. According to the Land Tirol, N means an earlier near-field measurement, and Tyrol adds 21 dB(A) to it: 80N becomes 101 dB(A), so the bike is affected. P means it was measured under today's rules and the value counts one to one. 80P stays below the limit.
Tyrol bans: roads, period, penalty
Since 2021 the Tyrolean government has banned particularly loud motorcycles every year from 15 April to 31 October on several roads in the districts of Reutte and Imst. According to the Land Tirol, the background was a 2019 noise study and a 2020 pilot year. Its evaluation found on average 36% less motorcycle traffic on summer Sundays.
Who is affected
The ban applies to all single-track motor vehicles with more than 95 dB(A) stationary noise according to their registration, whichever country they are registered in. Historic motorcycles are included. Sidecar combinations, trikes and other multi-track vehicles are not. The Land Tirol says there are no exceptions, not even for residents or traffic with a local origin or destination.
The closed roads
- B 198 Lechtalstraße from Steeg to Weißenbach am Lech
- B 199 Tannheimer Straße from Weißenbach am Lech to Schattwald at the German border
- L 21 Berwang-Namloser Straße from Bichlbach to Stanzach
- L 72 Hahntennjochstraße from Pfafflar to the pass summit near Imst
- L 246 Hahntennjochstraße from the pass summit to Imst
- L 266 Bschlaber Straße from Elmen to Pfafflar
The Fernpass road B 179 is not included. The Land Tirol also writes that the bans are evaluated continuously and may be adjusted and extended if needed. Check the Land's page before every trip.
Penalty and enforcement
The police enforce the bans. According to the Land Tirol you should expect a fine of about 220 euros, and the police can also order you to turn back. A sports exhaust with an ABE (German national component approval) changes nothing: it must not worsen the registered value. If you ride a louder exhaust without matching papers, you also have a problem with your operating licence, more on that in the article on registering an exhaust.
Further rules for the Alps, the vignette and weekend bans for bypass traffic are in the article Riding a motorcycle in Austria. The passes themselves are covered in our Alpine passes guide.
Road closures and noise in Germany
What the law allows
Under section 45 of the German road traffic regulations (StVO), road authorities may restrict roads, among other reasons to protect residents from noise. Restrictions on moving traffic are only allowed where a local danger exists that clearly exceeds the general risk (section 45 (9) StVO). A blanket ban only for loud motorcycles, as Tyrol has, is therefore not easy to order in Germany.
The 2020 Bundesrat initiative
On 15 May 2020 the Bundesrat adopted a resolution on motorcycle noise (document 125/20). It asked the federal government, among other things, to push in the EU for a limit of at most 80 dB(A) for new vehicles, to tighten penalties for tampering with exhausts and to make speed limits and time-limited traffic bans on Sundays and public holidays possible for noise protection. This is a request to the federal government, not a law. I could not document whether and how far the federal government has implemented individual points.
Concrete examples
- Holzminden district (Lower Saxony): The district planned a pilot project with a stationary-noise limit on the Tyrolean model and closures on individual Sundays. According to MOTORRAD (May 2024), the district dropped the limit in January 2024, and on 23 April 2024 the administration suspended the planned closures because the state transport ministry would not support them.
- Sudelfeld (B 307, Bavaria): This was about accidents, not noise. According to Motorrad & Reisen, the downhill stretch to Bayrischzell was closed to motorcycles from 11 am to 9 pm. The Munich administrative court dismissed a complaint in summer 2026, and according to that report the closure ended on 30 September 2026. Whether a permanent solution follows is said to be open. It shows that authorities can single out motorcycles if they document an accident cluster.
I did not find a complete, officially checked list of closures in Germany. Rely on the signs on site and ask the district office or police before trips in the uplands and Alps. The general rules are summarised in the article Motorcycle rules in Germany.
What you can do as a rider
- Read U.1: Check the registration certificate Part I before the trip and watch for N and P after the value.
- Check the exhaust papers: If an aftermarket exhaust is fitted, it must be approved for your model according to the part's papers and be registered if required.
- Plan an alternative: If your value is above 95 dB(A), ride the Fernpass road or other open roads in Tyrol.
- Swiss papers: If U.1 is missing, the value is usually also on the type plate, says the Land Tirol.
- Consideration in villages: Low revs through built-up areas cost nothing and take some heat out of the debate.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find my motorcycle's stationary noise?
In field U.1 of the registration certificate Part I. Drive-by noise is in U.3.
From how many dB does the Tyrol ban apply?
It affects single-track vehicles with more than 95 dB(A) stationary noise according to their registration, from 15 April to 31 October on the listed roads.
How high is the penalty in Tyrol?
According to the Land Tirol about 220 euros. The police can also order you to turn back.
Does a sports exhaust with an ABE count?
It must not worsen the approved value. The value in your papers remains the reference.
Is there a nationwide noise ban for motorcycles in Germany?
No, there is no comparable nationwide limit as in Tyrol. Individual authorities can restrict roads under narrow conditions.
Sources
- Motorcycle driving ban (Land Tirol, in German)
- Motorcycle driving ban: questions and answers (Land Tirol, in German)
- Directive 1999/37/EC on registration documents for vehicles (EUR-Lex, German version)
- Section 45 StVO: traffic signs and traffic installations (Gesetze im Internet, in German)
- Resolution on reducing and controlling motorcycle noise, document 125/20 (Bundesrat, in German)
- Stationary and drive-by noise of motorcycles (MOTORRAD, in German)
- No motorcycle closures in Holzminden (MOTORRAD, in German)
- Sudelfeld motorcycle closure lifted a month early (Motorrad & Reisen, in German)
Last checked: November 2026. Closures and rules can change, so check current information before your trip.
