Approved: City Officials Force Universal Studios to Remodel Park Following Ordinance Violation

When you think about theme parks like Universal Studios or Disneyland, you don’t immediately think about the noise from the parks or the rides; you’re on vacation, trying to enjoy your time. But sometimes the best-laid plans aren’t the best, especially for those who live near a major theme park.

Now, the local government has stepped in to help ensure that neighbors no longer send in complaints that could lead to future issues.

Universal Studios’s Hollywood Drift Coaster Causing Issues for Hundreds

There is a peculiar problem with building a roller coaster designed to make people scream: eventually, somebody outside the theme park may hear them.

Universal Studios Hollywood has spent months preparing Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift to become its first high-speed outdoor roller coaster, wrapping sections of the attraction in sound shielding even before guests began riding. Now, after weeks of complaints from some nearby residents, Universal is adding more.

Los Angeles City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian announced Tuesday that Universal will install two additional sound barriers around the new attraction to address noise concerns, with construction expected to be completed in early September. The community notice was direct: “We heard you.”

That makes this more than another construction update.

Universal is modifying its noise-mitigation setup while Hollywood Drift is already carrying guests during technical rehearsals — and before the company has moved the attraction into dependable, regular operation.

Universal Adds More Sound Protection to Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift

The latest barriers did not come out of nowhere.

Noise has been part of the Hollywood Drift conversation since well before the current round of neighborhood complaints. We reported in February that sound-shield panels were being incorporated around portions of the coaster as Universal prepared the attraction for its 2026 debut.

Those precautions became considerably more important once humans started riding.

ABC7 interviewed residents in nearby Toluca Lake in July who said they could hear screams generated during coaster testing. One resident described hearing the attraction from inside his home with the doors closed. Universal responded by confirming that it was monitoring the situation.

“The coaster is currently in technical rehearsals, which are designed to evaluate the attraction over time and under a variety of operating conditions,” Universal said in a statement reported by ABC7, adding that it was reviewing sound levels to ensure compliance.

We had previously examined those complaints, including existing mitigation measures around the attraction.

Tuesday’s announcement provides the clearest indication yet that the physical noise-control system is still being adjusted: two more barriers are coming.

Noise Complaints Do Not Mean Universal Violated the Law

There is an important distinction here.

Neither Nazarian’s announcement nor Universal’s previous public comments establish that Hollywood Drift violated a California or Los Angeles noise law.

Universal’s language says it is reviewing sound levels to ensure compliance. That is not the same thing as acknowledging noncompliance.

Los Angeles planning documents governing the broader Universal property have long treated noise as a development and operational consideration, meaning sound management around the destination is hardly a new issue.

What has changed is the source and visibility of the sound.

Hollywood Drift will reach speeds of up to 72 mph, according to Universal’s official attraction page, while individual ride vehicles rotate 360 degrees to create the sensation of drifting.

We have has also covered the attraction’s new locker and security procedures and the logistical consequences of operating a coaster considerably more intense than Universal Hollywood’s existing ride lineup.

Mechanical noise can be engineered around. Screaming riders are a rather less predictable variable.

Does the Sound-Barrier Work Delay Hollywood Drift?

Right now, there is no confirmed delay tied to the additional barriers.

That distinction matters because Hollywood Drift’s opening has already produced its share of confusion.

Universal accidentally posted a June 26 opening date earlier this summer before retracting it, an episode we have covered when the date briefly appeared online. Universal subsequently maintained that the coaster remained targeted for summer.

The company’s official attraction page continues to say “Coming Summer 2026.”

Meanwhile, guests have already been riding during technical rehearsals. Those rehearsals are intentionally unpredictable, something underscored when a Hollywood Drift train rolled backward during one July run before regaining enough momentum to continue. Universal did not characterize that episode as a malfunction.

The early-September completion target for the new barriers therefore creates an obvious question about timing, but it does not answer it.

Universal has not said the coaster must remain closed until that construction is finished.

That distinction is particularly relevant for guests visiting during Halloween Horror Nights, which begins September 3 and has already generated questions about Hollywood Drift access and Express benefits.

For now, the practical takeaway is simpler: Hollywood Drift remains in technical rehearsals, additional sound mitigation is coming, and Universal has not announced that either development changes its opening plans.

What Tuesday’s announcement does establish is that the coaster guests eventually experience will have more sound protection than the one Universal was testing only weeks ago.

For a ride built around 72-mph speed, drifting cars and screaming passengers, the final engineering challenge may be making sure some of that excitement stays inside the park.