Montana Code Annotated

Mont. Code Ann. § 61-9-401 (2026)

Horns, Security Alarms, And Warning Devices

✓ current as of May 2026
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TITLE 61. MOTOR VEHICLES

CHAPTER 9. VEHICLE EQUIPMENT

Part 4. Miscellaneous Regulations

Horns, Security Alarms, And Warning Devices

61-9-401. Horns, security alarms, and warning devices. (1) A motor vehicle when operated upon a highway must be equipped with a horn in good working order and capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than 200 feet. A horn or other warning device may not emit an unreasonably loud or harsh sound or a whistle. The driver of a motor vehicle shall when reasonably necessary to ensure safe operation give audible warning with the horn but may not otherwise use the horn when upon a highway.

(2) A vehicle may not be equipped with and a person may not use upon a vehicle a siren, whistle, or bell, except as otherwise permitted in this section.

(3) A vehicle may be equipped with a security alarm signal device that cannot be used by the driver as an ordinary warning signal while the vehicle is in motion.

(4) An 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 500 feet and of a type approved by the department. The siren may not be used except when the vehicle is operated in response to an emergency call or in the immediate pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law, in which event the driver of the vehicle shall sound the siren when reasonably necessary to warn pedestrians and other drivers of the vehicle's approach.

History: En. Sec. 142, Ch. 263, L. 1955; R.C.M. 1947, 32-21-145; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 503, L. 1985; amd. Sec. 26, Ch. 431, L. 1997.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 3 cases (2 in the last 5 years), 2008–2023 · leading case: State v. Tara Ashmore, 2008 MT 14 (Mont. 2008).
State v. Tara Ashmore, 2008 MT 14 (Mont. 2008). · cites it 2× “Hoke subsequently stopped her for Unnecessary Use of a Horn or Other Warning Device, a misdemeanor under § 61-9-401(1), MCA. ¶3 During the traffic stop Ashmore was angry and belligerent towards Hoke.”
Susan Porter v. Kelly Martinez, 68 F.4th 429 (9th Cir. 2023). “” Mont. Code Ann. § 61-9-401 (1). Nebraska: “[I]t shall be unlawful .”
Susan Porter v. Kelly Martinez (9th Cir. 2023). “” Mont. Code Ann. § 61-9-401 (1). Nebraska: “[I]t shall be unlawful .”
— Mont. Code Ann. § 61-9-401(1) — 1 case
State v. Tara Ashmore, 2008 MT 14 (Mont. 2008). “Hoke subsequently stopped her for Unnecessary Use of a Horn or Other Warning Device, a misdemeanor under § 61-9-401(1), MCA. ¶3 During the traffic stop Ashmore was angry and belligerent towards Hoke.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.