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Noise ordinances › Counties
County noise ordinances: quiet hours and limits by county
We cover 28 county noise ordinances in 8 states. Where a county's rules apply differs: some cover only areas outside city limits, others the whole county, and each page says which. 3 counties rely mainly on decibel limits, 18 mix decibel limits with an audibility test, and 7 use audibility or nuisance alone, including Harris and Bexar in Texas, which have no county noise ordinance at all.
Last updated:
| County | Quiet hours |
|---|---|
| Arlington County, VA | 9 p.m. – 7 a.m. (until 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sunday and legal holiday mornings) |
| Baltimore County, MD | No general quiet hours in the County Code; Maryland's standard sets night as 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. |
| Bexar County, TX | None found: state law applies at any hour |
| Cherokee County, GA | 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily; Sundays also until 1 p.m. and again from 6:30 p.m. |
| Chesterfield County, VA | 11:01 p.m. to 7 a.m. (sound devices, gatherings); lawn care 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. |
| Clark County, NV | 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. (Title 30 night limits) |
| Cobb County, GA | 65 dBA limit from 10 p.m. (11 p.m. Friday and Saturday) until 6:59 a.m. |
| DeKalb County, GA | 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.: no sound plainly audible inside another's closed house |
| Fairfax County, VA | 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (11 p.m. Fri., Sat., holiday eves); outdoor construction ends 9 p.m. |
| Forsyth County, GA | Night limits 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.; loud construction only 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Frederick County, MD | 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (the limit at homes drops from 65 to 55 dBA) |
| Gwinnett County, GA | At homes, 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. (from 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday) |
| Harris County, TX | None set: state law applies at any hour (no county ordinance) |
| Hillsborough County, FL | No County quiet hours; construction exempt 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; EPC nights 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. |
| Howard County, MD | 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (the limit at homes drops from 65 to 55 dBA) |
| Lee County, FL | 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (lower night limits: 55 dBA / 60 dBC at homes) |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (lower night limits) |
| Loudoun County, VA | No general quiet hours; lawn equipment and construction banned 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. |
| Miami-Dade County, FL | 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. sound devices; 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. construction; 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. power tools |
| Montgomery County, MD | 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays; 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. weekends and holidays |
| Nassau County, NY | No county hours found; town limits on music run from 10 or 11 p.m. to 8 or 9 a.m. |
| Orange County, CA | 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (lower night limits) |
| Pasco County, FL | 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily; business and construction limits also run all Sunday |
| Pinellas County, FL | Before 7 a.m. or after 11 p.m.; construction limits also run all Sunday |
| Polk County, FL | No fixed quiet hours; construction and lawn care exempt only 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Prince George's County, MD | 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. (night limits); higher construction limits run 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Prince William County, VA | 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays, to 9 a.m. weekends, holidays; voices 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. |
| Sacramento County, CA | 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (lower limits; 45 dBA between units) |
Counties added since late October show here without a link for a few weeks while we measure how their pages are found; their pages are live and linked from the city and county list.
State law above the counties
Where a county sets nothing, or nothing for the noise you have, state law is what remains. We explain it for Texas, Florida, California, Ohio, New Jersey and Colorado.
Does a county noise ordinance apply inside city limits?
It depends on the county. Some county codes cover only the unincorporated areas outside any city or town, others reach the whole county, and some let a city's own ordinance take over where the two conflict. Each county page says which applies there, quoted from the county code.
What if my county has no noise ordinance?
Then state law applies. Harris County and Bexar County in Texas have no county noise ordinance that we could find, so their pages explain the Texas state law that applies. Nassau County, New York leaves noise to its towns, villages and cities.
How do I find my county's noise rules?
Search the county's official code (Municode, eCode360, American Legal Publishing or the county's own site) for "noise", and check whether you live inside a city or town, whose ordinance may apply instead. The county pages here link the exact code they quote.
Dealing with a noise problem?
The free online decibel meter measures the level where you are (nothing is recorded or uploaded), and apartment quiet hours covers what a lease can add. These are plain-language summaries, not legal advice; each county page links the official code.
