The vapor phase CH stretching vibrational overtone spectra of tert-butylbenzene and tert-butyl chloride are measured in the &UDelta; v(CH) = 2-7 region, while the spectrum of tert-butyl iodide is recorded in the &UDelta; v(CH) = 2-6 region. The overtone spectrum of tert-butylbenzene is too complex to make detailed spectral assignments. Local mode frequencies, ω, and anharmonicities, ω x, are obtained for tert-butyl chloride and tert-butyl iodide. The torsional dependencies of the local mode frequency, δ(ω), and anharmonicity, δ(ω x), are calculated for the tert-butyl halides. Nonbonded, through-space intramolecular interactions are observed in the blue-shifting of sterically hindered CH oscillators. Scaling factors are presented for relating ab initio calculated local mode parameters to experimental values for alkyl CH oscillators. Fermi resonances are observed between local mode states and local mode/normal mode combination states in tert-butyl chloride and tert-butyl iodide. Vibrational overtone transition intensities are calculated in the range &UDelta; v(CH) = 3-9 using the harmonically coupled anharmonic oscillator (HCAO) model and ab initio dipole moment functions. The resultant HCAO intensities are compared to experimental intensities at &UDelta; c(CH) = 3.