Current New York City Car Alarm Law N.Y. Administrative Code 24-221: Sound signal devices. No person shall operate or use or cause to be operated or used any sound signal device so as to create an unreasonable noise, except that: (a) No person shall operate or use or cause to be operated or used any claxon installed on a motor vehicle, except as a sound signal of imminent danger, provided that such operation or use shall be considered in any proceeding before the board pursuant to any applicable section of subchapter eight of this chapter of this code, except section 24-269 prima facie evidence of a violation of this subdivision, and that a notice of violation shall in every instance issue against a person operating, using or causing to be operated or used a claxon installed on a motor vehicle. (b) No person shall operate or use or cause to be operated or used an air horn installed on any motor vehicle other than as provided in section 24-223 of this code. (c) No person shall operate or use or cause to be operated or used any steam whistle attached to any stationary boiler, except to give notice of the time to start and stop work or as a sound signal of imminent danger. (d) No owner of a building or of a motor vehicle shall have in operation an audible burglar alarm thereon unless such burglar alarm shall be capable of and shall automatically terminate its audible response within fifteen minutes of its being activated in the case of a building, and three minutes of its being activated in the case of a motor vehicle. No audible burglar alarm on a motor vehicle shall be capable of being activated except by (i) direct physical contact with that motor vehicle or (ii) through the use of an individual remote activation device that is designed to be used with the audible burglar alarm system of a particular vehicle which alarm shall be capable of and shall terminate its audible response within three minutes of its being activated. (e) No owner of a motor vehicle shall have in operation an audible status indicator on such motor vehicle. (f) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (d) of this section, any member of the police department of the city of New York shall have the right to take such steps as may be reasonable and necessary to disconnect any audible burglar alarm or audible status indicator which is installed on a motor vehicle at any time during the period of its activation. (g) The operator of any motor vehicle on which an audible burglar alarm has been installed shall, when parked on a public highway or parking lot open to the public, prominently display the number and telephone number of the owner's local police precinct where information shall be on file to permit communication with the owner of such motor vehicle. (h) (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (d) of this section, any member of the police department may arrange for the removal of a motor vehicle from a public highway or parking lot open to the public, when (i) an audible burglar alarm installed on such vehicle is operated in violation of this section or an audible status indicator is operated on such vehicle and (ii) all reasonable and necessary steps to disconnect such alarm or audible status indicator have been taken without success. Authorized personnel of the department or the department of transportation may request a member of the police department to arrange for the removal of such vehicle. When such removal is requested, the notice of violation for operation of an audible burglar alarm in violation of this section or for the operation of an audible status indicator shall state that a member of the police department took all reasonable and necessary steps to disconnect such alarm or such audible status indicator without success. Such removal may be accomplished by utilizing any existing city-operated tow program, the rotation tow program established pursuant to section 20-519 of the code or such other procedures as may be established. The cost of towing and storage of such motor vehicle shall be the responsibility of the owner or other person who claims such motor vehicle. (2) An opportunity for a hearing before the environmental control board shall be provided to the owner of a motor vehicle removed pursuant to paragraph one of this subdivision within five business days after a request for a hearing is made to determine whether there was a basis for such removal. The environmental control board shall render a decision within two business days following the conclusion of the hearing. If it is determined that there was no basis for removal of a vehicle pursuant to paragraph one of this subdivision, the owner of such vehicle may recover from the city any amounts paid by such owner for towing and storage. (i) The department, the police department and the department of transportation shall have the authority to enforce the provisions of this section. (j) No person shall operate or use or cause to be operated or used any sound signal device attached to a motor vehicle, wagon or manually propelled cart from which food or any other items are sold, which emits a sound signal more frequently than once every ten minutes in any one city block and with a duration of more than ten seconds for any single emission. (For information on the New York State Insurance Law (as it relates to car alarms), click here.)