Noise ordinances › Fort Collins, CO

Fort Collins noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: October 30, 2026

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Quiet hours in Fort Collins

The noise article (Chapter 20, Article II) has no stand-alone quiet hours; the clock is in the decibel table, whose limits drop by 5 dB(A) in every zone from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (20-23). Two exceptions to the Article end at 8:00 p.m.: tools and equipment used in construction, drilling, earthmoving, excavating or demolition are exempt only from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and only if all motorized equipment has functioning mufflers (20-25(6)); domestic power tools and lawn and garden equipment are exempt only from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and only if they generate less than 85 dB(A) at or within any real property line of a residential property (20-25(4)). Outside those hours such work is not banned outright, but it is no longer exempt and must meet the 20-23 limits. The article sets no separate weekend or holiday hours. The separate unreasonable-noise offense in § 17-129 applies at any hour; the time of day is one of the factors police weigh (17-129(b)(1)). Vehicle limits on a public right-of-way (20-28) apply "at any time".

Decibel limits

Yes, numeric limits. 20-23(a) declares any noise from any source above these dB(A) levels, measured as set out in 20-24, a noise disturbance and unlawful: Low Density Residential (R-L), Urban Estate (U-E), Foothills Residential (R-F), High, Low and Medium Density Mixed-Use Neighborhood (H-M-N, L-M-N, M-M-N), Old Town (OT), Public Open Lands (P-O-L), River Conservation (R-C) and Transition (T): 55 dB(A) from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and 50 dB(A) from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.; Downtown Old City Center (D), Downtown Canyon Avenue (D-C-A), Downtown Civic Center (D-C-C), River Downtown Redevelopment Commercial (R-D-R), Community Commercial (C-C), Community Commercial North College (C-C-N), Community Commercial River (C-C-R), Commercial North College (C-N), Neighborhood Commercial (N-C), Limited Commercial (C-L) and Harmony Corridor (H-C): 60 and 55 dB(A); Employment (E): 70 and 65 dB(A); Industrial (I): 80 and 75 dB(A). When a source can be measured in more than one zoning district, the most restrictive limit applies (20-23(a)); a pure tone, judged by the Code Compliance Inspector as a single pitch or set of single pitches, lowers the limits by 5 dB(A) (20-23(b), 20-21); and in multi-use buildings, noise from one unit received in another is held to the limit for the zoning district the building is in (20-23(c)). Measurement (20-24): at least 25 feet from a source in the public right-of-way, or at or within the property boundary of the receiving land use for a source on private property or other public property; on a sound level meter meeting ANSI S1.4-1983 or its latest version (20-21); and, outdoors, only with the wind screen the meter's manufacturer recommends and never when wind speeds, including gusts, exceed 15 miles per hour. Sound level means the instantaneous level in decibels on A-weighting, slow or fast (20-21). Vehicles on a public right-of-way (20-28(a)): vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or more, or combinations they tow, 86 dB(A) where the posted speed limit is 35 mph or less (or speeds are regulated under the Fort Collins Traffic Code) and 90 dB(A) where it is greater than 35 mph; any other motor vehicle or motorcycle under 10,000 pounds, 80 and 84 dB(A); measured at least 25 feet from the lane being monitored (20-28(c)). Off the right-of-way, motor vehicles of every kind, licensed or not, including racing vehicles, motorcycles, go-carts, snowmobiles, amphibious crafts, campers and dune buggies, must meet the 20-23 limits (20-28(b)). Other figures: lawn and garden equipment and domestic power tools keep their daytime exemption only below 85 dB(A) at or within a residential property line (20-25(4)), and a variance granted for more than eight hours may never allow more than 90 decibels (20-27(f)). The Article has no plainly-audible test; a separate unreasonable-noise offense, § 17-129, "may occur without the following measurements being made" (20-24) and sets no decibel figure.

What the ordinance actually says

§ 17-129(a): "No person shall make, continue or cause to be made or continued any unreasonable noise; and no person shall knowingly permit such noise upon any premises owned or possessed by such person or under such person's control."

§ 20-23(a): "A noise measured or registered in the manner provided in § 20-24 from any source at a level which is in excess of the dB(A) established for the time period and zoning districts listed in this Section is hereby declared to be a noise disturbance and is unlawful. When a noise source can be identified and its noise measured in more than one (1) zoning district, the limits of the most restrictive zoning district shall apply."

§ 20-24(1): "Noise shall be measured at a distance of at least twenty-five (25) feet from a noise source located within the public right-of-way, and if the noise source is located on private property or public property other than the public right-of-way, the noise shall be measured at or within the property boundary of the receiving land use."

§ 20-23(c): "In multi-use buildings, when noise originates in one (1) unit and is received in another unit within the same building, the maximum dB(A) for such noise shall be the same as the maximum dB(A) for the zoning district in which the building is located."

§ 20-25(6): "The provisions of this Article shall not apply to:" / "Any tools or equipment used in construction, drilling, earthmoving, excavating, or demolition, provided that all motorized equipment used in such activity is equipped with functioning mufflers, and further provided that such work takes place between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.;"

§ 20-25(4): "Noise from domestic power tools and lawn and garden equipment operated between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., provided that such tools or equipment generate less than eighty-five (85) dB(A) at or within any real property line of a residential property;"

§ 20-24: "For the purposes of classifying any noise disturbance and determining whether it is in violation of § 20-23, the following test measurements and requirements shall be applied; provided, however, that a violation of § 17-129 may occur without the following measurements being made:"

§ 20-29(a): "Any person who violates any provision of this Article, upon conviction, shall be subject to the penalty in § 1-15."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Fort Collins Municipal Code, Chapter 20, Article II (Noise): 20-21 Definitions (Code 1972, § 78-9; Ord. No. 154, 2001, 11-6-01; Ord. No. 071, 2004, § 1, 5-18-04; Ord. No. 084, 2008, § 3, 8-19-08; Ord. No. 083, 2025, § 1, 6-3-25), 20-22 Reserved (the former "Unreasonable noise" section, renumbered as § 17-129 by Ord. No. 084, 2008, adopted 8-19-08, per the editor's note), 20-23 Maximum permissible noise levels (Code 1972, § 78-2; Ord. No. 9, 1998, 2-3-98; Ord. No. 154, 2001, 11-6-01; Ord. No. 056, 2024, § 29, 5-7-24), 20-24 Classification and measurement of noise (Code 1972, § 78-3; Ord. No. 154, 2001, 11-6-01; Ord. No. 084, 2008, § 4, 8-19-08), 20-25 Exceptions (Code 1972, § 78-4; Ord. No. 26, 1990, 4-3-90; Ord. No. 93, 1999, 6-15-99; Ord. No. 154, 2001, 11-6-01; Ord. No. 083, 2025, § 2, 6-3-25), 20-26 Extraterritorial noise source (Ord. No. 154, 2001, 11-6-01), 20-27 Variances (Code 1972, § 78-5; Ord. No. 154, 2001, 11-6-01), 20-28 Motor vehicle maximum sound levels (Code 1972, § 78-7; Ord. No. 154, 2001, 11-6-01; Ord. No. 16, 2003, § 10, 2-18-03), 20-29 Violations and penalties (Code 1972, § 78-8(A), (B); Ord. No. 154, 2001, 11-6-01). Also Chapter 17, § 17-129 Unreasonable noise prohibited (Code 1972, § 78-1; last amended Ord. No. 092, 2026, § 34, 8-18-26), and Chapter 1, § 1-15 General penalty (amended by Ordinance No. 131, 2026). Text read on Municode, the City's code host, Supplement 156 Update 2, online content updated October 19, 2026.). Verified against the live code on 2026-10-30. 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 Fort Collins

The City's Contact Police page gives 970-419-3273 (FCPD) for a non-emergency situation and 911 for an emergency or in-progress situation. Code Compliance, whose inspector the code empowers to issue a summons for violations of the decibel limits (20-21), lists 970-416-2350 and CodeCompliance@fortcollins.gov, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its office is at 281 N. College Ave., and the same inspector decides variances for stationary noise sources (20-27). Any violation of the noise Article is cause for a summons by authorized enforcement officials and, on conviction, carries the general penalty in § 1-15 (20-29). For unreasonable noise, police make the first call (17-129(b)); a first violation is an unclassified petty offense (a fine of up to $2,650, no jail) and a second within 12 months an unclassified misdemeanor (up to $2,650, up to 180 days in jail, or both) (17-129(d), (e); § 1-15(a), (h)). Sources: https://library.municode.com/co/fort_collins/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=CH17MIOF (§ 17-129), https://www.fortcollins.gov/Services/Police-and-Public-Safety/Contact-Police and https://www.fortcollins.gov/Services/Housing/In-Your-Neighborhood/Code-Compliance.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Fort Collins. 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) Exceeding the table is itself the offense: a reading above the zone limit is declared a noise disturbance and unlawful (20-23(a)). Unreasonable noise is a separate offense in § 17-129 (renumbered from the old 20-22 in 2008), which may be violated without any measurement (20-24): any sound of such level and duration as to be or tend to be injurious to human health or welfare, or which would unreasonably interfere with the enjoyment of life or property, judged by police on the time of day, the size of any gathering, amplification and anything else showing how disruptive it is (17-129(b)). If the owner or tenant was present, that is prima facie evidence they knowingly permitted it (17-129(c)). (2) The night band starts at 8:00 p.m., not 10:00 p.m., and it is also when the construction and lawn-tool exceptions end (20-23, 20-25(4), (6)). (3) Daytime construction is exempt only if all motorized equipment has functioning mufflers (20-25(6)); daytime lawn and garden equipment and domestic power tools only if under 85 dB(A) at or within a residential property line (20-25(4)). (4) In a building with more than one use, the real property line includes the vertical and horizontal boundaries of a dwelling unit, and unit-to-unit noise is held to the zone limit for the building (20-21, 20-23(c)). (5) Readings are instantaneous levels on A-weighting, slow or fast (20-21), and no outdoor reading may be taken without a wind screen or when wind, including gusts, exceeds 15 miles per hour (20-24(3)). (6) Exceptions (20-25): emergency signaling devices; agricultural activities commonly or reasonably associated with agricultural production, regardless of a change in ownership, a nonpermanent stop in farming, a government agricultural program, new technology or a change in product; aircraft and other activities subject to federal noise law, and sound within the jurisdiction of the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration; church bells and chimes that are part of a religious observance or service; snow blowers, snow throwers and snow plows operated with a muffler for snow removal; the City, for noise emanating from any public right-of-way; golf course maintenance equipment; and tools or equipment in emergency operations reasonably necessary for public health, safety or welfare. (7) Noise from outside the city: when a source in an unincorporated area of the County exceeds the limits measured inside the city, the City may prosecute only if the complainant first sought County enforcement and the County declined to go to court or 30 days passed without proceedings, or the person was acquitted of, or had dismissed, a County charge with substantially different elements (20-26). (8) Variances are only for the owner or operator of a stationary noise source, through the Code Compliance Inspector, who may charge a fee under § 7.5-1 and limit the variance to no longer than one year; the applicant must prove the noise will not endanger public health and that compliance would be an unreasonable hardship without equal or greater public benefit; a variance for more than eight hours may never exceed 90 decibels; it may be revoked for violated conditions, misrepresentation or changed circumstances; and the applicant or any affected person may appeal to the City Manager (20-27). (9) Vehicles: on a public right-of-way the 20-28 limits apply at any time and are measured at least 25 feet from the lane being monitored; the section's history notes end at Ord. No. 16, 2003, and it cross-references Chapter 28 and the Fort Collins Traffic Code, which was not read for this summary. (10) The penalties are in § 1-15, not in the noise Article (20-29): its table puts an unclassified petty offense at a fine of up to $2,650 with no jail, and an unclassified misdemeanor at up to $2,650 and up to 180 days (§ 1-15(h)).

Document it before you report it

Fort Collins'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 Fort Collins noise map. For time-stamped measurement history you can show a landlord or code officer, the app keeps a log.