Noise ordinances › Akron, OH

Akron noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: November 9, 2026

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Quiet hours in Akron

Akron has two sets of night hours: one for amplified sound and instruments, and one for barking dogs. Amplified sound and instruments: between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. of the following day, on private property in a predominantly residential area, or from a property zoned U-1 or U-2 under Chapter 153 (the zoning code) whatever its nonconforming use or variance, sound from a radio, phonograph, television, tape player, loudspeaker or other sound amplifying device, or from a horn, drum, piano or other musical or percussion instrument, is prima facie unlawful (presumed unlawful unless shown otherwise) when it is audible more than 80 feet from the property line of the property where the source is (132.16(A)(1)(a)). On a street, highway or public right-of-way the same kinds of sound are prima facie unlawful at any hour when audible 100 feet from the device (132.16(A)(1)(b)). Outside those two presumptions the general rule of 132.16(A) still applies at every hour: no unreasonable noise or loud sound from those devices or instruments that is likely to cause inconvenience or annoyance to persons of ordinary sensibilities. Barking dogs (92.14, in the animals chapter): at any hour, no person may keep, harbor or maintain within the City a dog which, by loud, frequent or habitual barking, yelping or howling, disturbs the peaceful living of any person or makes a noise likely to cause inconvenience or annoyance to persons of ordinary sensibilities (92.14(A)). It is prima facie unlawful where the dog is out of doors in a predominantly residential area, or on premises zoned U-1 or U-2, and barks, howls or yelps for more than ten minutes substantially uninterrupted between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. of the following day, or for more than twenty minutes substantially uninterrupted between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. (92.14(A)(1)). Nothing else in the sections read has hours. Noisy advertising, noisy machinery and noise-producing instruments that disturb the peace and good order of the neighborhood are barred at any hour (132.15(A) to (C)), as are unreasonable noise under the disorderly conduct section (132.01(A)(2)) and disturbing the good order and quiet of the municipality by clamors or noises (132.13(A)). Chapter 132 sets no separate hours for construction, lawn equipment or trash collection; machinery falls under the any-hour rule of 132.15(B).

Decibel limits — or rather, the lack of them

No decibel limit. Sections 132.15 and 132.16, and the barking section 92.14, state no decibel figure, no zone table and no meter procedure. The tests are words and distances: unnecessary noise to the annoyance and discomfort of the people of the city, for engines, boilers, presses and other machines (132.15(B)); a device or instrument by which the peace and good order of the neighborhood is disturbed or neighbors are subjected to a nuisance (132.15(C)); unreasonable noise or loud sound likely to cause inconvenience or annoyance to persons of ordinary sensibilities, for amplifying devices and instruments (132.16(A)); and two audibility distances that make such sound prima facie unlawful, more than 80 feet from the source property's line in residential areas and U-1 or U-2 zones between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. (132.16(A)(1)(a)) and 100 feet from the device on a street, highway or public right-of-way (132.16(A)(1)(b)). The 80 feet is counted from the property line and the 100 feet from the device itself. Barking is judged by time, not loudness: more than ten minutes substantially uninterrupted between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m., or more than twenty minutes between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., from a dog out of doors in a residential area or a U-1 or U-2 zone, is prima facie unlawful (92.14(A)(1)).

What the ordinance actually says

§ 132.15(B): "Noisy Machinery. No person shall maintain, run, or operate any steam, gas, gasoline, or other engine, boiler, press, machine, or other apparatus so constructed or operated as to make any unnecessary noise, to the annoyance and discomfort of the people of the city."

§ 132.15(C): "Noise-Producing Instruments. Except as provided in § 110.10, no person shall operate or maintain any radio, phonograph, player piano, calliope, or any noise-making device or noise-amplifying or noise-producing instrument or device in any public or private place, by which the peace and good order of the neighborhood is disturbed, or by which persons owning or occupying property in the neighborhood are subjected to a nuisance."

§ 132.15(D): "Whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. Penalty, see § 130.99."

§ 132.16(A): "No person shall generate or permit to be generated unreasonable noise or loud sound which is likely to cause inconvenience or annoyance to persons of ordinary sensibilities by means of a radio, phonograph, television, tape player, loudspeaker or any other sound amplifying device or by any horn, drum, piano or other musical or percussion instrument."

§ 132.16(A)(1): "It is prima facie unlawful for a person to generate or permit to be generated sound by the above described devices or instruments in the following circumstances:" (a): "On private property between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. of the following day in a predominantly residential area or from a property zoned U-1 or U-2 under Chapter 153, regardless of existing nonconforming use or variance, where the sound is audible more than eighty feet from the property line of the property on which the source of the sound is located;"

§ 132.16(A)(1)(b): "On a street, highway or in the public right-of-way where the sound is audible one hundred feet from the device generating the sound. Persons in possession of a current parade permit issued pursuant to § 72.44 or a current loudspeaker permit issued pursuant to § 110.10 are exempt from the provisions of this subsection."

§ 132.16(B): "No person, being the owner, or person in possession of a premises or person in control of the premises by reason of employment, agency, or otherwise whether such ownership, possession or control is exclusive or joint, shall permit a violation of this section."

§ 132.16(D): "Whoever violates this section is guilty of generating unreasonable noise and a minor misdemeanor. If the offender persists in generating or permitting to be generated unreasonable noise after reasonable warning or request to desist, generating unreasonable noise is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree."

§ 132.16(E): "In any violation of this section involving sound equipment in a motor vehicle, both the sound equipment and the motor vehicle are hereby deemed contraband and subject to seizure and forfeiture under Ohio Revised Code §§ 2933.41 through 2933.43."

§ 132.01(A): "No person shall recklessly cause inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm to another by doing any of the following:" 2.: "Making unreasonable noise or offensively coarse utterance, gesture, or display, or communicating unwarranted and grossly abusive language to any person;"

§ 92.14(A): "No person shall keep, harbor or maintain within the City any dog which, by loud, frequent or habitual barking, yelping, or howling, disturbs the peaceful living of any person or makes such a noise as is likely to cause inconvenience or annoyance to persons of ordinary sensibilities."

§ 92.14(A)(1): "It is prima facie unlawful for a person to keep, harbor or maintain a dog in a predominantly residential area or on premises zoned U-1 or U-2 pursuant to Chapter 153, regardless of existing non-conforming use or variance, where the dog is out of doors; and" a.: "Between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. of the following day the dog barks, howls or yelps for more than ten minutes substantially uninterrupted; or" b.: "Between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. of the same day the dog barks, howls or yelps for more than twenty minutes substantially uninterrupted."

§ 130.99(D): "Fines for a misdemeanor shall be imposed as follows:" 4.: "For a misdemeanor of the fourth degree, not more than three hundred fifty dollars."

§ 130.99(E): "Whoever is convicted of or pleads guilty to a minor misdemeanor shall be fined not more than one hundred fifty dollars."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Akron Municipal Code (Code of Ordinances), Title 13 (General Offenses), Chapter 132 (Offenses Against Public Peace): 132.15 Noise (Ord. 113-1991; Ord. 535-1990) and 132.16 Sound amplifying devices (Ord. 584-1992; Ord. 605-1992; Ord. 535-1990); also 132.01 Disorderly conduct (Ord. 223-1991; Ord. 728-1973; the section cites R.C. § 2917.11) and 132.13 Disturbing the peace (Ord. 728-1973; the section cites R.C. § 715.55). Penalties: Chapter 130 (General Provisions), 130.99 Penalty for Title 13 (Ord. 668-2003; Ord. 221-1991; Ord. 728-1973). Barking: Title 9 (General Provisions), Chapter 92 (Animals), 92.14 Barking dogs (Ord. 703-1990; Ord. 1568-1967) and 92.99 Penalty. Text read on Municode, the City's code host, version of June 18, 2026 (Supp. No. 64), codified through Ordinance No. 40-2026, enacted February 9, 2026, on 2026-11-09. Sections 132.15 and 132.16 also point to § 110.10 (loudspeaker permits) and § 72.44 (parade permits); neither of those two sections was in the text read.). Verified against the live code on 2026-11-09. Ordinances get amended — before acting on a specific provision, check the linked official code. This page is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.

How to file a noise complaint in Akron

Call Akron Police on a non-emergency line, 330-375-2181 or 330-375-2101, and keep 911 for emergencies. The City's Safety Communications page gives those two numbers for incidents that do not need immediate attention, such as vehicle complaints, neighborhood issues or civil matters, and says a call taker answers them 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; the page does not name noise, and no City page read says in words where to report loud music. The police online report portal names theft, property damage, identity theft, lost property and phone harassment as examples of what it takes, not noise. Barking dogs go a different way: the City's dog brochure (revised 07/15, still linked from the Nuisance Compliance Division page) says to call 3-1-1 from a home phone or 330-375-2311 from any phone, that the Animal Warden collects the details and the dog owner is notified (it cites Sec. 92.14, the barking section), and that continued or repetitive violations may be referred to the Clerk of Courts for criminal prosecution. Under the brochure's barking procedure no complaint is anonymous, the warden records dates and times and the names and addresses of at least two corroborating witnesses who do not live with the complainant, the complaint stays on file for one year, and a complainant who finds the problem not fixed within that year collects the report at 146 S. High St., Room 700 and starts the prosecution at 217 S. High St., Room 742. The 3-1-1 page gives office hours of Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; the brochure gives the Animal Warden's hours as Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and 330-375-2181 after hours, on weekends and on holidays. Penalty under the code: a violation of 132.15 is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree (132.15(D)); a violation of 132.16 is a minor misdemeanor, and a misdemeanor of the fourth degree if the offender persists after reasonable warning or request to desist (132.16(D)). Section 130.99, the penalty section for Title 13, sets the figures: for a misdemeanor of the fourth degree, imprisonment of not more than thirty days (130.99(C)(4)) and a fine of not more than $350 (130.99(D)(4)); for a minor misdemeanor, a fine of not more than $150 (130.99(E)). Barking under 92.14 is a minor misdemeanor (92.99(A)); Chapter 92 names the degree and states no dollar figure for it. Where the violation involves sound equipment in a motor vehicle, the code deems both the equipment and the vehicle contraband, subject to seizure and forfeiture (132.16(E)). Sources: https://www.akronohio.gov/departments/public_safety/safety_communications.php, https://www.akronohio.gov/departments/neighborhood_assistance/311.php, https://www.akronohio.gov/departments/neighborhood_assistance/nuisance_compliance_division.php, https://www.akronohio.gov/Documents/Departments/Neighborhood%20Assistance/Nuisance%20Compliance%20Division/dog_brochure7_15.pdf and https://online.akronohio.gov/APDWebPortal/.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Akron. For the general playbook — documenting the problem, talking to a landlord or HOA, when 311 beats 911 — see the noise complaints guide.

Worth knowing

(1) No decibels anywhere: the noise sections give no decibel figure and no meter method, so a reading is supporting evidence and not the legal test. (2) Two sections, two scopes. The distance rules of 132.16 cover only sound amplifying devices and musical or percussion instruments; a noisy engine, compressor or other machine falls under 132.15(B), which has no hours and no distance, only unnecessary noise to the annoyance and discomfort of the people of the city. Shouting or a loud gathering without speakers or instruments is in neither section and is left to disorderly conduct (132.01(A)(2)) and disturbing the peace (132.13). (3) Prima facie means presumed, not automatic: sound past 80 feet at night, or 100 feet on a street, is presumed unlawful and the person charged may still rebut it (132.16(A)(1)). (4) The night rule is tied to place: a predominantly residential area, a phrase the section does not define, or a property zoned U-1 or U-2 under the zoning code, even where a nonconforming use or variance exists (132.16(A)(1)(a)); the zoning classes themselves were not read. (5) The street rule has no hours, and holders of a current parade permit (§ 72.44) or loudspeaker permit (§ 110.10) are exempt from that subsection (132.16(A)(1)(b)). (6) The general noise section is the harsher one: any violation of 132.15 is a fourth-degree misdemeanor (a fine of not more than $350 and not more than thirty days), while a first violation of 132.16 is a minor misdemeanor (a fine of not more than $150) and rises to the fourth degree only if the person persists after reasonable warning or request to desist (132.15(D), 132.16(D), 130.99(C) to (E)). An organization convicted under § 130.09 faces higher ceilings: not more than $3,000 for a fourth-degree misdemeanor and not more than $1,500 for a minor misdemeanor (130.99(H)(1)). (7) Owners and managers answer too: the owner, the person in possession, or a person in control of the premises by employment, agency or otherwise may not permit a violation (132.16(B)). (8) Cars: where sound equipment in a motor vehicle is involved, the equipment and the vehicle are both deemed contraband and subject to seizure and forfeiture; the section cites Ohio Revised Code §§ 2933.41 through 2933.43, while Ohio's forfeiture chapter today is Chapter 2981, and whether the cited sections are still in force was not confirmed (132.16(E)). (9) Alarms are exempt: warning and alarm devices that signal unsafe or dangerous situations or call for police are outside 132.16 when used for those purposes (132.16(C)). (10) Noisy advertising is banned outright: no advertising of goods or of any show, theater, exhibition or entertainment by ringing a bell or gong, using a phonograph or other sound-reproducing instrument, loud or boisterous language or any unusual noise (132.15(A)). (11) Disorderly conduct by unreasonable noise is a minor misdemeanor, and a fourth-degree misdemeanor if the person persists after reasonable warning or request to desist or is within one thousand feet of the boundaries of any school, school premises or school building (132.01(E)); disturbing the peace is a minor misdemeanor (132.13(B)). (12) Barking is handled apart from the noise sections, under 92.14 in the animals chapter and by the Animal Warden through 3-1-1. Its presumption runs on its own clock, 8 p.m. to 7 a.m., an hour earlier at both ends than the 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. of the amplified sound rule, and it applies only where the dog is out of doors (92.14(A)(1)). Licensed veterinary hospitals, licensed kennels and animal boarding establishments kept in conformance with the zoning code, and blind persons whose dog serves as a guide or leader are outside the section (92.14(B)). The City's brochure asks for at least two witnesses from outside the complainant's household and says no complaint is anonymous because of the Public Records Law. (13) How current: Akron City Council's legislation page says the online code is Supplement 64, updated June 18, 2026 with laws passed through February 9, 2026, and lists seven ordinances passed since and not yet in the code; none of the seven amends Chapter 132 or 130; one, Ordinance No. 239-2026 (passed July 20, 2026), amends the beekeeping section of Chapter 92 (92.29), not the barking section.

Document it before you report it

Akron enforces mostly by audibility, but a log of measured levels still makes a complaint concrete and credible. Take a quick reading with the free online decibel meter — it runs in your browser and records nothing — and check how loud your block is on the Akron noise map. For time-stamped measurement history you can show a landlord or code officer, the app keeps a log.