Noise ordinances › Cedar Rapids, IA

Cedar Rapids noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: November 9, 2026

Documenting this? A dated log of when the noise started, when it stopped and how loud it got is what Cedar Rapids acts on. Log noise levels for a complaint — free, runs in your browser, records no audio.

Quiet hours in Cedar Rapids

The night hours are 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and they work in two ways. First, Table 1 in 56.01 drops the limit for sound received at a residence from 60 dBA (7 a.m. to 10 p.m.) to 50 dBA (10 p.m. to 7 a.m.); the commercial limit (65 dBA) and the industrial limit (75 dBA) apply at all times. Table 1 binds only the sources 56.02 lists, and two of them are covered at every hour: radios, televisions, phonographs, drums, musical instruments, sound amplifiers and similar devices, and animals and birds. Second, three sources are limited only at night: between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. the following morning, a power lawn mower, power trimmer or other gasoline or electric powered device for mowing or trimming a lawn, a power chain saw, and solid waste collection or hauling equipment may not be used if the use creates a noise disturbance, meaning sound that crosses a real property boundary above the Table 1 limit (56.01, 56.02). Chapter 56 puts no limit on those three during the day, except that a gasoline powered lawn mower with no muffler may not create a noise disturbance at any hour (56.02). No hours at all: the loud and raucous rule, which bars making loud and raucous noise in the vicinity of a residence or hospital that causes unreasonable distress to the occupants, and bars permitting it on premises a person owns, occupies or controls (62.01(a), (b)); the animal noise rule, which turns on more than fifteen minutes of noise in any one-hour period of any day, documented by three or more separate episodes in a sequential seven-day period (23.06); and the car audio rules (86 dBA at 25 feet from the device, and a disturbance test at 50 or more feet, 56.02). One venue has its own clock: an event, performance or use of the McGrath Amphitheatre held between May 1 and October 31 and arranged by the City's manager for the amphitheatre is not a violation until after 11:30 p.m. (56.02, 62.01). Chapters 56 and 62 set no hours for construction, and Chapter 32, the zoning code, is hosted apart from the rest of the code and was not read.

Decibel limits

Yes, for listed sources only. Table 1, Maximum Permissible Sound Levels From Limited Sources by Receiving Land Use (56.01): Residence District, 60 dBA from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 50 dBA from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.; Commercial District, 65 dBA at all times; Industrial District, 75 dBA at all times. The limit is set by the land that receives the sound. Residential means any property with a building or structure used wholly or partially for living or sleeping purposes, not counting park custodial residences or school or college dormitories; commercial means property zoned for commercial use with no residential use on it; industrial means property zoned for industrial use with no commercial or residential use on it (56.01). A noise disturbance is a transmission of sound across a real property boundary, from a source the chapter specifically limits, that exceeds Table 1; a real property boundary separates land owned by one person from land owned by another and does not include divisions inside a building (56.01). The limited sources are animals and birds; radios, televisions, phonographs, drums, musical instruments, sound amplifiers and similar devices; and, between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., lawn mowing and trimming equipment, power chain saws and solid waste collection or hauling equipment (56.02). Measurement: a sound level meter at the real property boundary of the receiving property, or at a point reasonably proximate to it, at a height of 4 feet above the immediate ground surface (56.02); A-weighting applies where no weighting is stated (56.01). Vehicles have their own figures (56.02): a radio, television set, musical instrument or other device operated on a motor vehicle may not make noise in excess of 86 dBA at 25 feet from the device; exhaust noise is excessive or unusual at 90 dBA or more at 35 MPH or less and 94 dBA or more over 35 MPH for vehicles or combinations with a manufacturer's gross vehicle rating or gross combination weight rating of 10,000 pounds or more, and at 80 dBA or more and 84 dBA or more for any other motor vehicle, measured at least 25 feet from the near side of the nearest lane being monitored and at least 4 feet above the surrounding surface. No decibel figure applies to the loud and raucous rule (62.01), the animal noise rule (23.06) or the 50 foot car audio test (56.02).

What the ordinance actually says

§ 56.01 (Noise disturbance): "For purposes of this chapter, any transmission of sound across a real property boundary from a source specifically limited by this chapter, which exceed the sound level limits set forth in Table 1 entitled "Maximum Permissible Sound Levels from Limited Sources by Receiving Land Use.""

§ 56.02 (Radios, televisions, phonographs, etc.): "No person shall operate, play or permit the operation or playing of any radio, television, phonograph, drum, musical instrument, sound amplifier, or similar device which produces, reproduces or amplifies sound at a sound level which creates a noise disturbance."

§ 56.02 (Animals and birds): "No person shall own, possess or harbor any animal or bird which frequently or for continued duration emits sounds native to the species which are a noise disturbance. Excepted from the provisions of this subsection are guide dogs for the blind and the deaf."

§ 56.02 (Lawnmowing equipment): "No person shall use or operate or permit the use or operation of a power lawn mower, power trimmer or other gasoline or electric powered device intended for mowing or trimming a lawn between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following morning if such use or operation creates a noise disturbance as defined in this chapter."

§ 56.02 (measurement): "Sound level measurement from limited sound sources, for purposes of this chapter, shall be measured using a sound level meter at the real property boundary of the receiving property, or at a point reasonably proximate to the real property boundary and shall be measured at a height of 4 feet above the immediate ground surface."

§ 56.02 (motor vehicle sound devices): "No person shall perform, create, cause, or permit a radio, television set, musical instrument, or any other device to produce, reproduce, or amplify sound to create a noise in excess of 86 dBA at 25 feet from such device when operated on a motor vehicle."

§ 56.02 (sound in a motor vehicle): "No person shall operate, play or permit the operation or playing of any radio, tape deck or player, sound amplifier or similar device which produces, reproduces or amplifies sound in a motor vehicle so as to create a sound 50 or more feet from the device which endangers or injures the welfare, safety or health of a human being, or disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities, or devalues or injures personal or real property."

§ 56.03: "The provisions of this chapter which prohibit the making, continuing, or causing the making or continuance of a noise disturbance may be enforced upon receipt of a complaint made or filed with city officials by a person disturbed by such noise disturbance."

§ 62.01(a): "No person shall make any loud and raucous noise in the vicinity of any residence or hospital which causes unreasonable distress to the occupants thereof."

§ 62.01(b): "No person shall permit any loud and raucous noise in, or upon, any premises owned, occupied, or controlled by that person, and which are in the vicinity of any residence or hospital, which causes unreasonable distress to the occupants of said residence or hospital."

§ 23.06: "It is unlawful for any person(s) to own any animal which by its barking, howling, baying, squealing, crowing, crying, bleating, screeching, or making any other noise by its volume or frequency unreasonably disturbs or interferes with the peace of any person(s) for more than fifteen minutes in any one-hour period of any day, and is documented by three or more separate episodes of such noise in a sequential seven-day period."

§ 1.06 (Standard penalty): "Unless another penalty is expressly provided by this code for any particular provision, section or chapter, any person violating any provision of this code, or any rule or regulation adopted or issued in pursuance thereof, or any provision of any code adopted herein by reference shall, upon conviction, be subject to a fine of not more than $625 or less than sixty-five dollars."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Cedar Rapids Municipal Code, Chapter 56 (Motor Vehicle Noise and Noise Limits From Certain Sound Sources): 56.01 Definitions, with Table 1 (20-83), 56.02 Noise Prohibitions and Limited Sound Sources (20-83, 54-94, 034-15) and 56.03 Enforcement (27-97); Chapter 62 (Offenses Against Public Peace and Morals): 62.01 Disturbing the Peace (25-78; 034-15) and 62.05 Bells and Sound Amplifiers; Chapter 23 (Cats, Dogs and Other Animals): 23.06 Animal Noise and 23.33 Scheduled Offenses and Fines (061-11; the chapter note says Chapter 23 was adopted by Ordinance 50-05, passed July 27, 2005, and reenacted by Ordinance 061-11, passed December 6, 2011 and published December 12, 2011); Chapter 1 (General Provisions): 1.06 Penalties (43-06) and 1.12 Municipal Infractions (82-91). The numbers in brackets are the ordinance history lines as the code prints them. Text read on Municode, the City's code host, version of Sept. 22, 2026 (Supp. No. 25, Update 1), codified through Ordinance No. 025-26, passed July 28, 2026, on 2026-11-09. Municode lists one adopted ordinance as not yet codified: Ordinance No. 03-26, adopted 10/20/26, which repeals Chapter 23 and replaces it with a new Chapter 23 (Animal Control, Animal Laws, and Other Regulations). The Chapter 23 read is the earlier one, still the codified text that day, and the new ordinance's text was not read. The page text read shows no subsection letters, so 56.02 is cited here by its paragraph headings; 62.01(a) and (b) are lettered from the section's own cross-reference and from the City's Animal Care and Control page, which quotes 62.01(b). State law read: Iowa Code 2026, sections 723.4 (Disorderly conduct) and 364.22 (Municipal infractions).). 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 Cedar Rapids

Call the Cedar Rapids Police Department's non-emergency line, 319-286-5491, and 911 in an emergency. The City's My CR page lists Barking Dog among the concerns that should be phoned in at once and sends it to Police non-emergency at 319-286-5491, and the Animal Care and Control page says barking dog complaints should be reported to the Cedar Rapids Police Department at the same number. No City page read gives a separate line for loud music, parties or vehicle noise. The police department's list of call types includes a noise disturbance type. The My CR request portal lists Police Non-Emergency and Animal Control among its categories and has no noise category; the Neighborhood Services page says residents should not be subjected to noise complaints in their neighborhood and points to My CR for reports at any time of day or night. Animal Care and Control (319-286-5993) takes other animal complaints inside the city limits. What the code says about complaints: the noise disturbance rules of Chapter 56 may be enforced on a complaint made or filed with city officials by a person disturbed, and peace officers may enforce without a complaint if, in the officer's judgment, sufficient evidence exists (56.03). The animal noise section may be enforced only on written receipt of a complaint, made to the animal control authority or to law enforcement by a person who lives or is employed in the affected area (23.06). Penalty: Chapters 56 and 62 state no penalty for these rules, so the standard penalty applies: on conviction, a fine of not more than $625 or less than $65, and the court may order imprisonment for not more than 30 days in addition to or in place of a fine; each day a violation occurs or continues is a separate offense (1.06). The City has also adopted the state's municipal infraction procedure for any violation of the city code, other than conduct that is a simple misdemeanor under certain chapters of the Iowa Code (1.12): a civil penalty of not more than $750 for each violation, or not more than $1,000 for a repeat offense (Iowa Code 364.22(1)(a)). Animal noise has a scheduled fine of $75.00 for the first violation and $150 for every subsequent offense (23.33), and the animal may be seized and impounded as a nuisance if the disturbance reoccurs after the owner or custodian has received two written warnings within a calendar year (23.06). Under state law, making loud and raucous noise in the vicinity of a residence or public building that intentionally or recklessly causes unreasonable distress to the occupants is disorderly conduct, a simple misdemeanor (Iowa Code 723.4(1)(b)). Sources: https://cedar-rapids.org/MyCR/, https://my.cedar-rapids.org/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2F, https://www.cedar-rapids.org/local_government/departments_a_-_f/animal_control/abuse_investigation.php, https://www.cedar-rapids.org/local_government/departments_a_-_f/animal_control/index.php, https://www.cedar-rapids.org/local_government/departments_g_-_v/police/calldispositionlist.php, https://www.cedar-rapids.org/residents/neighborhood_services/index.php, https://www.cedar-rapids.org/local_government/departments_g_-_v/police/safe_cr.php, https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/364.22.pdf and https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/723.4.pdf.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Cedar Rapids. 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) The decibel table is not a general limit. Table 1 binds only the sources Chapter 56 names: amplified or reproduced sound and instruments, animals and birds, and, at night, lawn equipment, chain saws and solid waste hauling. Air conditioners, machinery, construction and voices are not on the list, so they fall to the loud and raucous rule in 62.01, which has no decibel figure. (2) Residential means how the land is used, not how the map is colored: any property with a building used wholly or partly for living or sleeping gets the residential limit, and a property counts as commercial only when it is zoned commercial and has no residential use (56.01). (3) The table stops at the building line: a noise disturbance is sound crossing a real property boundary, and the definition leaves out divisions inside a building, so sound between two units of one building is outside Table 1 (56.01). (4) Daytime mowing is not limited by Chapter 56: mowers, trimmers, chain saws and solid waste hauling are covered only between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and only when the sound crosses a property boundary above Table 1. A gasoline mower with no muffler is covered at any hour (56.02). (5) The reading is taken on the complainant's side: at the real property boundary of the receiving property, or a point reasonably proximate, 4 feet above the ground (56.02). (6) Two loud and raucous rules: 62.01(a) reaches the person who makes the noise and 62.01(b) the person who permits it on premises they own, occupy or control. Both protect residences and hospitals. The state law covers residences and public buildings and requires that the distress be caused intentionally or recklessly (Iowa Code 723.4(1)(b)); the city section's text states no such mental element. (7) Barking is covered three times. Chapter 56 treats animals and birds as a limited source under Table 1, with guide dogs for the blind and the deaf excepted (56.02). The City's Animal Care and Control page says barking dogs are enforced under 62.01(b) and sends complaints to the police. And 23.06, Animal Noise, sets its own test: more than fifteen minutes in any one-hour period, documented by three or more separate episodes in a sequential seven-day period, on a written complaint from someone who lives or works in the affected area; it puts the burden on the owner to maintain quiet and says violators will be subject to 56.02 and/or 62.01(b). Its exceptions cover farm animals in permitted zones, commercial pet facilities, animal welfare facilities, veterinary hospitals and grooming parlors that comply with the code, and noise an owner can show was caused by the animal's injury or illness or by others trespassing on, tormenting or abusing it. (8) Chapter 23 is being replaced: Municode shows Ordinance No. 03-26, adopted 10/20/26, repealing Chapter 23 and replacing it with a new Chapter 23, as adopted but not yet codified. Section 23.06 and its $75.00 and $150 fines are quoted here from the chapter still on the code host on 2026-11-09, the one reenacted by Ordinance 061-11; the new ordinance's text was not read, so the animal noise rule may already read differently. (9) Car audio has two tests: a meter test, 86 dBA at 25 feet from the device, and a no-meter test at 50 or more feet, sound that endangers or injures the welfare, safety or health of a human being, disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities, or devalues or injures property (56.02). (10) Loud exhaust is defined by number, and the wording is at or above: 80 dBA or more at 35 MPH or less and 84 dBA or more above that speed for ordinary vehicles, 90 and 94 for those rated 10,000 pounds or more; muffler cutouts and bypasses are barred on a public highway (56.02). (11) The McGrath Amphitheatre is written into both chapters: events there between May 1 and October 31, arranged by the City's manager for the venue, are not a violation until after 11:30 p.m. (56.02, 62.01). (12) Excepted from the radio and instrument rule: church or clock carillons, bells or chimes; parades or processions that meet their permit conditions; mobile radio or telephone signal devices; and sanctioned racing events. Governmental fire department equipment and devices used by emergency vehicles or by governmental officials or organizations for authorized public purposes are exempt from the whole chapter (56.02). (13) Advertising by sound needs a permit: no bell, gong, sound amplifier or other device may be sounded for advertising on any street or alley, at any place of business or dwelling, or on any vehicle without a permit from the Council (62.05). (14) A complaint is the normal trigger: Chapter 56's noise disturbance rules may be enforced on a complaint from a person disturbed, and an official's certification that the complaint was made is enough to prove it; peace officers may act without one on sufficient evidence (56.03). (15) Two penalty tracks: the standard penalty of 1.06 ($65 to $625, and up to 30 days) and the municipal infraction of 1.12. Section 1.12 says a violation is not a municipal infraction if it is a simple misdemeanor under Chapters 687 through 747 of the Iowa Code, the range that holds the state's own loud and raucous noise offense, 723.4. (16) Repeated trouble at one address is handled by a separate program, SAFE-CR, under Chapter 22A (Nuisance Properties); its page says it addresses conduct that is detrimental to the quiet enjoyment of neighbors and that an owner gets at least 15 days to abate before being billed for further violations, and it does not say which police calls count. (17) Zoning is kept elsewhere: the City adopted a new Chapter 32 zoning code effective January 1, 2019 and hosts it apart from the rest of the code; it was not read, so any zoning noise standard is not covered here.

Document it before you report it

Some of Cedar Rapids's limits are measured numbers, so a reading can help, and a dated log counts either way. 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 Cedar Rapids noise map. For time-stamped measurement history you can show a landlord or code officer, the app keeps a log.