Noise ordinances › Colorado Springs, CO

Colorado Springs noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: September 20, 2026

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

Quiet hours in Colorado Springs

Night begins early, at 7:00 p.m., and runs to 7:00 a.m. The table in 9.8.104 drops each zone by 5 dB(A) in that window (residential 55 to 50, commercial 60 to 55, light industrial 70 to 65, industrial 80 to 75), and the 10 dB(A) allowance for up to 15 minutes in any hour is available only between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. (9.8.105). Heavy vehicles over 10,000 lb are held to their 88 dB(A) limit citywide by day but only on Mayor-designated arterial streets at night, with the 80 dB(A) car limit applying elsewhere (9.8.201 B). Construction has no hours of its own: 9.8.107 holds construction projects to the industrial-zone levels (80 dB(A) by day, 75 at night) for the life of the permit, so a project next to homes is judged by those numbers rather than a curfew. The unmetered offense in 9.8.101 applies at any hour and lists "the time of day" as a factor.

Decibel limits

Yes. Sec. 9.8.104 declares excessive and unlawful any noise measured under 9.8.103 at or above: residential 55 dB(A) from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and 50 dB(A) from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.; commercial 60 / 55; light industrial 70 / 65; industrial 80 / 75; where a source can be measured from two zones the more restrictive governs, and the zones are defined by character (the residential zone includes hotels, schools, hospitals and nursing homes). Measurement (9.8.103): at least 25 feet from a source on the right-of-way, or 25 feet from the property line of a source on private property, A-weighted on an ANSI-standard meter, wind under 5 mph or 25 with a windscreen, with the ambient considered. Modifiers: +10 dB(A) for up to 15 minutes in any hour between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. (9.8.105); periodic, impulsive or shrill noises are unlawful at 5 dB(A) below the table (9.8.106); construction is measured against the industrial levels (9.8.107); railroad rights of way are industrial zones (9.8.108). Vehicles (9.8.201): 80 dB(A) for vehicles under 10,000 lb, 88 dB(A) for heavier vehicles (citywide 7 a.m.–7 p.m., designated streets only at night). The meter is optional: 9.8.101 A also makes it unlawful to make an excessive or unusually loud noise "which can be heard without the use of an electronic measurement device," and subsections 9.8.101 G and 9.8.102 E let a reading below the table be offered as evidence, with the time of day, the location and "whether the noise can be heard from at least one hundred feet (100') from its source" as the listed circumstances; for car stereos "words or phrases need not be discernible" (9.8.102 A). Alarms without a shutoff may not sound more than 16 minutes (9.8.101 D).

What the ordinance actually says

Sec. 9.8.101 A: "It is unlawful to make, create, or permit an excessive or unusually loud noise, or a noise which endangers public safety, or a noise which is harmful to any person, which can be heard without the use of an electronic measurement device or heard and measured in the manner prescribed in section 9.8.103 of this part; except when made under and in compliance with a permit issued pursuant to section 9.8.109 of this part."

Sec. 9.8.104: "A noise measured or registered as provided in section 9.8.103 of this part from any source other than as provided in section 9.8.109 of this part at a level which is equal to or in excess of the db(A) established for the time period and zones listed in this section, is declared to be excessive and unusually loud and is unlawful." Table (7:00 A.M. to next 7:00 P.M. / 7:00 P.M. to next 7:00 A.M.): "Residential 55 dB(A) / 50 dB(A); Commercial 60 dB(A) / 55 dB(A); Light industrial 70 dB(A) / 65 dB(A); Industrial 80 dB(A) / 75 dB(A)"

Sec. 9.8.103 A: "Distance Of Measurement: Noise occurring within the jurisdiction of the City shall be measured at a distance of at least twenty five feet (25') from a noise source located within the public right of way, and if the noise source is located on private property or property other than the public right of way, at least twenty five feet (25') from the property line of the property on which the noise source is located."

Sec. 9.8.105: "Between the hours of seven o'clock (7:00) A.M. and seven o'clock (7:00) P.M., the noise levels permitted in section 9.8.104 of this part may be increased by ten (10) dB(A) for a period of not to exceed fifteen (15) minutes in any one hour period."

Sec. 9.8.107: "Construction projects shall be subject to the maximum permissible noise levels specified for industrial zones for the period within which construction is to be completed pursuant to any applicable construction permit issued by proper authority, or if no time limitation is imposed, then for a reasonable period of time for completion of project."

Sec. 9.8.102 A: "Prohibited: It is unlawful for any person to operate, drive, or be in possession of a motor vehicle which is stopped, standing, parked or moving, and to make, create or permit an excessive or unusually loud noise, or a noise which endangers public safety, or is harmful to any person, which is caused by a sound amplification system, and which can be heard without the use of an electronic measurement device or heard and measured in the manner prescribed in section 9.8.103 of this part. Words or phrases need not be discernible."

Sec. 9.8.101 G: "Among the circumstances which may be considered in determining whether reasonable grounds for belief have arisen that a person has violated this section are: 1. The time of day. 2. The location of the noise. 3. Whether the noise can be heard from at least one hundred feet (100') from its source."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Code of the City of Colorado Springs, Chapter 9 "Public Offenses," Article 8 "Offenses Affecting the Environment," Part 1 "Noise Pollution – General": 9.8.101 noise prohibited (Ord. 96-41; Ord. 01-42; Ord. 11-19), 9.8.102 sound amplification systems in vehicles, 9.8.103 classification and measurement of noise, 9.8.104 permissible noise levels (the zone table), 9.8.105 permissible increases, 9.8.106 periodic and impulsive noises, 9.8.107 construction projects, 9.8.108 railroad rights of way, 9.8.109 hardship permits; Part 2 "Noise Pollution – Vehicles": 9.8.201 vehicle noise limits (Ord. 09-131; Ord. 11-19), 9.8.202 emergency vehicles, 9.8.203 modifications prohibited, 9.8.204 motorcycles and off-highway vehicles. Text read on American Legal Publishing (the City's code host) on 2026-09-20.). Verified against the live code on 2026-09-20. 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 Colorado Springs

Per coloradosprings.gov (Contact CSPD; noise complaint page): for non-permitted noise such as loud parties, loud stereos in homes or vehicles, or late-night work in a garage, call the Colorado Springs Police Department non-emergency line at (719) 444-7000, staffed 24 hours a day, or submit a "Noise Complaint" through the GoCOS app or coloradosprings.gov/gocos; the City's noise page routes industrial and construction noise to Neighborhood Services at (719) 444-7891, and noise from permitted events and venues (festivals, parades, Weidner Field, Ford Amphitheater) to the GoCOS "Noise Complaint" category. Sec. 9.8.101 E and 9.8.102 C say the complainant may be a police officer acting on their own observation, so a patrol officer can act without a resident's complaint. Hardship permits for temporary noise above the table are issued by the Mayor (9.8.109). Vehicle sound-system violations carry a mandatory minimum fine of $75 (up to $500) on a first offense (9.8.102 F); other Part 1 violations are punished under the Code's general penalty provisions, and Part 2's off-highway vehicle rules carry a fine of up to $500 with no jail (9.8.204 F).

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Colorado Springs. 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) Colorado Springs' night starts at 7:00 p.m., three hours earlier than most cities, and the 50 dB(A) residential night level is among the lowest quoted; the daytime allowance of +10 dB(A) for 15 minutes an hour disappears at 7:00 p.m. too. (2) The meter is measured 25 feet from the source or its property line, not at the complainant's window, and the 25-foot distance applies to a source on the sidewalk as well. (3) The table is one of two routes: the same section makes an excessive noise heard by ear an offense, and a sub-limit meter reading can still be offered as evidence, with audibility at 100 feet listed as a circumstance; car stereos are judged the same way and the words need not be intelligible. (4) Construction has no curfew; it is held to the industrial table (80 / 75 dB(A)) for the permit period, which is 25 dB(A) above the residential limit next door. (5) The Mayor issues hardship permits for temporary or unavoidable noise above the table (9.8.109), designates the arterial streets where heavy trucks may run at 88 dB(A) at night (9.8.201 C), and can approve a vehicle's sound system (9.8.101 F). (6) Jake brakes are banned citywide unless posted otherwise (9.8.201 D), and aftermarket devices that make a vehicle louder than factory design may not be sold, installed or used in the City (9.8.203). (7) Vehicle sound-system fines have a floor: $75 minimum on a first offense, up to $500 (9.8.102 F). (8) Alarms get 16 minutes, one more than the usual 15 (9.8.101 D). (9) Off-highway motorcycles and dirt bikes may not be ridden within 660 feet of a residence without the neighbors' permission, on a $500 fine with no jail (9.8.204).

Document it before you report it

Colorado Springs's limits are measured numbers, so a reading is direct evidence of how loud it really is. Take a reading right here: the meter below runs in your browser and records nothing, and stopping it saves a dated report. Check how loud your block is on the Colorado Springs noise map. For time-stamped measurement history you can show a landlord or code officer, the app keeps a log.