Noise ordinances › Cincinnati, OH

Cincinnati noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: October 1, 2026

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

Quiet hours in Cincinnati

Chapter 909 has no single quiet-hours rule; the meter tables in Sec. 909-3(C) change at 7 a.m., 7 p.m. and 2 a.m. and by day of the week. Table 1 (Sunday through Wednesday): residential and institutional receivers 60 dB(A) from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., 55 from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., and 55 in a column headed "2 a.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday through Thursday." Table 2 (Thursday): 60 by day, 55 from 7 p.m. to midnight and 55 from midnight to 7 a.m. Friday, while commercial, downtown and office receivers go up to 75 from 7 p.m. to midnight. Table 3 (Friday through Saturday): residential and institutional receivers 65 by day and 60 from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. and from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. Saturday through Sunday. "The day the 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. time period falls on shall be determined by the day that corresponds with the 7 p.m. time." Nighttime construction (909-7): except in an emergency, no construction or demolition activity, and no operation of any mechanical, electrical or battery-operated apparatus producing loud sound that disturbs the peace of the neighborhood, within 500 feet of residences, hospitals or other residential institutions between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., unless the director of buildings and inspections or the city engineer has issued a special permit for nighttime construction; construction includes every operation regulated by the Cincinnati - Ohio Basic Building Code. One or two street musicians on unamplified instruments do not violate 909-3 between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. or between 5:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., for a single period of up to 90 consecutive minutes near one location, and not closer than 20 feet to a crosswalk, 20 feet to a street vendor or 100 feet to an open market. The general disturbance offense (909-3(A) and (B)) and the car-audio rule (909-5) contain no hours.

Decibel limits

Yes, as prima facie evidence rather than a stand-alone limit. Sec. 909-3(C) makes it prima facie evidence of a violation of 909-3 if a noise under (A) or (B) exceeds the tables, by receiving zoning district, time of day and day of the week, in "Leq dB (A)": "A sound meter reading taken over a minimum of a six minute period producing an average reading," measured "at or within the boundaries of the receiving or affected property or immediately adjacent to the property of the noise source," or as close as reasonable when the meter cannot be placed there. Table 1, Sunday through Wednesday (7 a.m.–7 p.m. / 7 p.m.–2 a.m. / 2 a.m.–7 a.m. Sunday through Thursday): Single Family (SF), Residential (RFR, RM or RMX) or Institutional (IR) 60 / 55 / 55; Commercial (CC, CG, CN or RFC), Downtown Development (DD), Urban Mix (UM) or Office (OL or OG) 70 / 65 / 65; Manufacturing (MA, ML, MG, ME or RF-M) 75 / 70 / 70. Table 2, Thursday (7 a.m.–7 p.m. / 7 p.m.–midnight / midnight–7 a.m. Friday): SF, Residential (RM or RMX) or IR 60 / 55 / 55; Commercial (CC or CN), Downtown District (DD) or Office (OL or OG) 70 / 75 / 65; Manufacturing (ML, MG, ME or RF-M) 75 / 70 / 70. Table 3, Friday through Saturday (7 a.m.–7 p.m. / 7 p.m.–2 a.m. / 2 a.m.–7 a.m. Saturday through Sunday): SF, RM, RMX or IR 65 / 60 / 60; CC, CN, DD, OL or OG 75 / 75 / 70; ML, MG, ME or RF-M 75 / 70 / 70. Levels for Planned Development, Hillside, Urban Design, Interim Development Control and Historic districts are assigned by designated members of the Department of City Planning and Buildings. The meter must meet the Type 1 or Type 2 requirements of ANSI S1.4-1983 or its latest revision (909-1-S). Without a meter, the offense is creating or permitting noise "in such a manner as to disturb the peace and quiet of a neighborhood," with due regard for nearby residences, hospitals and residential institutions (909-3(A)); 909-3(B) applies the same test to restaurants, hotels, summer gardens and other places of refreshment or entertainment. Vehicles (909-5): a vehicle's radio or other sound device may not create unreasonable noise that annoys persons of ordinary sensibilities or that is "plainly audible to persons other than the occupants," and sound plainly audible at 50 feet from the vehicle is prima facie unlawful.

What the ordinance actually says

Sec. 909-3(A): "No person shall create noise or sound, or permit the creation of noise or sound in such a manner as to disturb the peace and quiet of a neighborhood, having due regard for the proximity of places of residence, hospitals or other residential institutions and to any other conditions affected by such noise."

Sec. 909-3(C): "It shall be prima facie evidence of a violation of this section if any such noise listed in subsection (A) or (B) exceeds the following sound level limitations tested by a sound level meter by receiving zoning district, time of day and day of the week: Maximum permissible sound levels Leq dB (A)—A sound meter reading taken over a minimum of a six minute period producing an average reading of the limits listed in Tables 1, 2 and 3 below, and shall be measured at or within the boundaries of the receiving or affected property or immediately adjacent to the property of the noise source." Table 1, Sunday through Wednesday (7 a.m. to 7 p.m. / 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. / 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday through Thursday): "Single Family (SF), Residential (RFR, RM or RMX), or Institutional (IR) 60 55 55"

Sec. 909-3(C): "The day the 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. time period falls on shall be determined by the day that corresponds with the 7 p.m. time."

Sec. 909-3: "Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor. Whoever violates this section three or more times within a one-year period is guilty of a fourth degree misdemeanor."

Sec. 909-5(B): "It shall be prima facie unlawful for a person being the owner or person in possession of a motor vehicle with a device described above to cause or permit any noise emanating from a motor vehicle which is plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet from the motor vehicle. The lawful use of a motor vehicle horn shall not be a violation of this section."

Sec. 909-7: "No person other than in the event of emergency, shall, between the hours from 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. the following day, engage in or undertake any construction or demolition activity or the operation of any mechanical, electrical or battery-operated apparatus which produces loud sound which disturbs the peace and quiet of the neighborhood within 500 feet of places of residence, hospitals or other residential institutions, without first obtaining a special permit from the director of buildings and inspections or the city engineer for such nighttime construction."

Sec. 909-4(A): "No person shall operate or cause to be operated any sound amplification equipment or sound-amplifying instrument during any special event that requires a special event permit under Chapter 765 of the Cincinnati Municipal Code, in any of the following areas at the special event location:"

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Cincinnati Municipal Code, Title IX "Misdemeanors," Chapter 909 "Community Noise" (ordained by Ord. No. 289-2010, eff. July 30, 2010): 909-1 definitions, with 909-1-A ANSI, 909-1-D decibel, 909-1-P person, 909-1-S sound level meter and 909-1-Z zoning districts; 909-3 loud noise (the Leq tables, street musicians and penalties; a. Ord. No. 411-2010, eff. Dec. 17, 2010); 909-4 limitations on amplified sound at special events (Emer. Ord. No. 344-2016, eff. Nov. 2, 2016); 909-5 excessive sound from a motor vehicle; 909-7 nighttime construction; 909-95 enforcement (a. Emer. Ord. No. 238-2015, eff. July 1, 2015). Penalty classes in Chapter 902, Sec. 902-5; loud dogs in Chapter 701, Sec. 701-27. The Municode edition is codified through Ordinance No. 0223-2026 (Emer.), effective June 17, 2026 (Supp. No. 48, Update 4). Text read on Municode (the City's code host) on 2026-10-01.). Verified against the live code on 2026-10-01. 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 Cincinnati

Per cincinnati-oh.gov (311Cincy), "Police Non-Emergencies" page: "Non-Emergency: Call 311 or 513-765-1212" (Emergency: 911), and the Emergency Communications Center call-taker "can help assess whether CPD can be dispatched to your location"; the "Short-Term Rental Noise Complaint" request type routes to the Cincinnati Police Department and says "If the noise issues are in progress, please call 3-1-1 or 513-765-1212 for a police response"; the "Barking or Nuisance Dog Complaint" page states that "Complaints regarding community noise are received by the 311 center and dispatched to the Cincinnati Police Department for investigation" and quotes the loud-dog rule in 701-27. Under Sec. 909-95 designated members of the Buildings and Inspections and Police Departments may enforce the chapter, and nighttime construction permits come from the director of buildings and inspections or the city engineer (909-7). Penalties: a 909-3 violation is a minor misdemeanor (fine of up to $150 under 902-5), and three or more violations within one year make it a fourth-degree misdemeanor (up to 30 days and $250); 909-4 is a fourth-degree misdemeanor following a warning; 909-7 is a fourth-degree misdemeanor; 909-5 carries mandatory fines of $250 for a first offense, $350 for a second within one year after conviction of a first, and $500 for a third or later offense within that year, when an owner's vehicle is also subject to seizure and impoundment with a $500 administrative penalty plus towing and storage fees.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Cincinnati. 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 meter is evidence, not the offense: a reading above the table is "prima facie evidence" of disturbing the peace and quiet of a neighborhood (909-3(C)), so a case can be made without a meter, and a reading above the table counts as prima facie evidence of the offense rather than being the offense itself. (2) The tables run on a weekly calendar: Sunday through Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday through Saturday each have their own, residential receivers get 5 dB(A) more on Friday and Saturday, and on Thursday evening commercial, downtown and office receivers are allowed 75 dB(A) from 7 p.m. to midnight, more than their 70 by day. (3) The column headings overlap: Table 1's last column is "2 a.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday through Thursday" and Table 3's is "2 a.m. to 7 a.m. Saturday through Sunday," so early Sunday morning appears in both, at 55 or 60 dB(A) for residential receivers (65 or 70 for commercial). (4) The zone lists differ between tables: RFR, CG, RFC, Urban Mix (UM) and MA appear only in Table 1, so Tables 2 and 3 give no Thursday or weekend figure for those zones, and Table 1 says "Downtown Development (DD)" where Tables 2 and 3 say "Downtown District (DD)." (5) The reading is a six-minute average (Leq), taken at the receiving property or immediately adjacent to the source's property, not a peak. (6) Ordinary noise fines are small (a minor misdemeanor, up to $150, rising to a fourth-degree misdemeanor on the third violation in a year), but car audio carries mandatory fines of $250, $350 and $500 and, for an owner's third offense, seizure and impoundment of the vehicle (909-5(D)). (7) The construction rule starts at 9 p.m., applies only within 500 feet of residences, hospitals or residential institutions, and can be lifted by a special permit. (8) At a permitted special event, no one but the sponsor (or its designee) and those in the official program may use amplification within 100 feet of food, beverage or merchandise sales, event attractions or the sponsor's public address system, and the listed equipment includes drums, whistles and horns (909-4). (9) Up to two unamplified street musicians are lawful at lunchtime and in the evening under the timing and distance limits in 909-3. (10) Barking dogs fall under 701-27 ("loud and frequent or habitual barking or yelping" causing "serious annoyance or disturbance to the neighborhood"), and the City's 311 page says the Police Department, not the county dog warden, enforces it.

Document it before you report it

Cincinnati's limits are measured numbers, so a reading is direct evidence of how loud it really is. 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 Cincinnati noise map. For time-stamped measurement history you can show a landlord or code officer, the app keeps a log.