Noise ordinances › Fort Lauderdale, FL

Fort Lauderdale noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: October 30, 2026

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Quiet hours in Fort Lauderdale

Night for the decibel table and the audibility rules is 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. every day. In residential use the Table I limits drop from 60 dBA or 70 dBC outdoors and 45 dBA or 55 dBC indoors (7 a.m. to 10 p.m.) to 50 dBA or 60 dBC outdoors and 35 dBA or 45 dBC indoors (10 p.m. to 7 a.m.); commercial and industrial limits apply 24 hours (17-6). Amplified and non-amplified sound from a residential use may not be plainly audible for one minute or longer 25 feet or more from the source property line from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., or 50 feet or more from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (17-7(1)(a), (10)(a)); the 25-foot rules for amplified sound on rights-of-way and public waterways have no time band (17-7(1)(b), (c)). Impulsive sound has separate day (7 a.m. to 10 p.m.) and night (10 p.m. to 7 a.m.) counting rules (17-6(1)). Amplified sound from commercial, mixed-use or industrial uses may not exceed 60 dBC inside a complainant's premises from noon to 10 p.m., or 55 dBC from 10 p.m. to noon the next day (17-7(1)(e)). In the special entertainment overlay district the limits step down by time and day: Monday through Thursday, 85 dBA or 95 dBC from noon to midnight, 70 dBA or 80 dBC from midnight to 2 a.m., and 65 dBA or 75 dBC from 2 a.m. to noon; Friday through Sunday and legal holidays, 85 dBA or 95 dBC from noon to 1 a.m., 70 dBA or 80 dBC from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m., and 65 dBA or 75 dBC from 3 a.m. to noon (17-7(1)(d)). Construction, repair, alteration or demolition equipment may not be operated Monday through Saturday before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m., or on Sunday before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m., except public works transportation projects approved under 17-9 (17-7(4)(b)); construction within those hours that has building permits (or needs none because of the scope of work or government ownership), with equipment run to the manufacturer's specifications and with standard mufflers, is exempt from the chapter (17-8(1)). A City Manager special permit for a large or complex project may not authorize construction sound from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. unless the City Manager specifically grants it, and an extension beyond 45 days in a Regional Activity Center may not authorize construction sound from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday through Saturday or from 7 p.m. to 10 a.m. on Sunday (17-10(b)(1), (2)). Landscaping and yard maintenance power tools may be used Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in nonresidential areas and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. in residential areas, and on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. anywhere in the city (17-7(7), 17-8(13)). Loading, unloading or handling boxes, crates, containers, garbage cans or recyclable containers is barred from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. on property within 250 feet of a residential use (17-7(3)), and sanitation operations are exempt from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (17-8(11)). Emergency generators may be tested only from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., for no more than one hour a day (17-7(5)). Residential HVAC equipment may not exceed 40 dBA inside a complainant's premises from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (17-7(6)). The general noise-disturbance ban (17-5), the barking rule (17-7(2)) and the revving rule (17-7(9)) apply at all hours.

Decibel limits

Yes. Table I in 17-6 (maximum permissible sound level limits, dBA and dBC): Residential, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., 60 dBA or 70 dBC outdoors and 45 dBA or 55 dBC indoors; Residential, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., 50 dBA or 60 dBC outdoors and 35 dBA or 45 dBC indoors; Commercial, 24 hours, 65 dBA or 75 dBC outdoors and 55 dBA or 65 dBC indoors; Industrial, 24 hours, 75 dBA or 85 dBC outdoors and 65 dBA or 75 dBC indoors. A residential use within a commercial, industrial or mixed use, or within 200 feet of one, has a daytime (7 a.m. to 10 p.m.) outdoor limit of 65 dBA or 75 dBC. Measurement (17-1, 17-4, 17-6): a sound level meter meeting ANSI S1.4-1983 or its successors, on the A or C weighting the chapter specifies for the source. On a complaint, the limits are those for the complainant's property, outdoor readings are taken on or within the complainant's real property line, and indoor readings, which apply when the source is on the same parcel or across a common wall, floor or ceiling, are taken inside the complainant's premises; with no complaint, the limits are those for the property the sound comes from, read 5 feet from the building, structure or establishment. Three readings of the source's normal operation are taken, each at least 30 seconds and all within one hour, using LMAX, the maximum level in the measurement period, or one 30-second reading if the sound lasts less than 90 seconds in all. Impulsive sound (under one second): from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., impulses occurring 10 or more times in an hour may not exceed Table I, and impulses occurring fewer than four times in an hour may not equal or exceed 20 decibels above it; from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., Table I applies at four or more an hour and the 20-decibel margin below four (17-6(1)). A mechanical device with a steady pure tone that does not fluctuate more than plus or minus 3 dBA, other than HVAC equipment on residential property, has limits 5 dBA lower (17-6(2)). Source limits in 17-7: the special entertainment overlay district, 85 dBA or 95 dBC, 70 dBA or 80 dBC, and 65 dBA or 75 dBC by time band (see quiet hours), measured 5 feet from the building, structure or establishment and, when there is a complainant, from the complainant's property line (17-7(1)(d)); amplified sound from commercial, mixed-use or industrial uses, 60 dBC from noon to 10 p.m. and 55 dBC from 10 p.m. to noon inside a complainant's premises, with Table I applying to outdoor readings at or within the complainant's property line (17-7(1)(e)); emergency generators, 68 dBA at 23 feet, with the Table I indoor limits when the generator is on the complainant's parcel (17-7(5)); residential HVAC, 40 dBA inside a complainant's premises from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (17-7(6)). Rules with no meter: any noise disturbance, defined as sound that is "unreasonably loud, raucous, or jarring to reasonable persons of ordinary sensibilities" or that affects the health, safety or welfare of other persons (sound over the 17-6 levels is also a noise disturbance) (17-1, 17-5); amplified and non-amplified sound from a residential use plainly audible for one minute or longer at 25 feet (night) or 50 feet (day) from the source property line (17-7(1)(a), (10)(a)); amplified sound plainly audible 25 feet or more from a motor vehicle or other source on a right-of-way, or from a motorboat or other source on a public waterway, including boats docked or moored (17-7(1)(b), (c)); animal vocalizing (17-7(2)); and engine revving that causes a noise disturbance (17-7(9)). Plainly audible means any sound a person can detect with unaided hearing (17-1).

What the ordinance actually says

§ 17-5: "It shall be unlawful for any person to make or continue or cause to be made or continued any noise disturbance within the limits of the city."

§ 17-1: "Noise disturbance means any sound which is unreasonably loud, raucous, or jarring to reasonable persons of ordinary sensibilities, or any sound which affects the health, safety, or welfare of other persons, or exceeds the noise levels as defined in section 17-6."

§ 17-6: "Notwithstanding any other provision in this chapter, it shall be unlawful, except as expressly permitted herein, to cause, allow, or permit the making of any sound which exceeds the limits set forth in this section."

§ 17-6, note to Table I: "If the residential use is within a commercial, industrial, or mixed use, or within two hundred (200) feet of such use, the outdoor sound level limit is sixty-five (65) dBA or seventy-five (75) dBC between 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m."

§ 17-6(a): "When the investigation is initiated by a noise complaint, the sound level limit shall be based upon the sound level limits applicable to the complainant's property. When there is no noise complaint, the sound level limit shall be based upon the sound level limits applicable to the property where the sound source is emanating."

§ 17-6(d): "Three (3) measurements of the normal, usual operation of the sound source under investigation shall be taken. The metric that shall be applied is LMAX. Each of the three (3) measurements shall be no less than thirty (30) seconds in duration, and all three (3) measurements shall be taken within any one-hour period."

§ 17-7(1)(a)(i): "Sound shall not be plainly audible for a period of one (1) minute or longer at a distance of twenty-five (25) feet or more when measured from the source property line between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. daily."

§ 17-7(4)(b): "It shall be unlawful for any person to operate or cause to be operated equipment for the aforementioned uses Monday through Saturday before 8:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m. and Sunday before 10:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m., except for public works transportation projects that are approved pursuant to section 17-9."

§ 17-1: "Plainly audible means any sound that can be detected by a person using his or her unaided hearing faculties."

§ 15-278(12): "The vacation rental shall be equipped with a noise level detection device alerting the property owner/responsible party and transient occupants to noise emanating from the vacation rental, and all data produced by this device will be retained for a period of one hundred eighty (180) days and made available to the city upon request."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Fort Lauderdale Code of Ordinances Chapter 17 "Noise Control", Secs. 17-1 to 17-10: 17-1 Definitions, 17-2 Penalties, 17-3 Noise control officers, 17-4 Sound level measurement, 17-5 General prohibitions, 17-6 Maximum permissible sound levels (Table I), 17-7 Specific restrictions, 17-8 Exemptions, 17-9 Construction of large public works transportation projects, 17-10 Construction of large or complex projects (transportation and non-transportation); exemption for time to comply. History: Ord. No. C-08-37, adopted 7-15-08, whose § 1 repealed the former Chapter 17 and whose § 2 enacted the present one (editor's note); every section carries Ord. No. C-08-37, § 2, 7-15-08, except 17-10, which C-18-18 rewrote; 17-6 amended by Ord. No. C-24-48, § 1, 12-3-24; 17-7 by Ord. No. C-22-11, § 2, 4-5-22, Ord. No. C-24-48, § 2, 12-3-24, and Ord. No. C-25-27, § 1, 6-30-25; 17-8 by Ord. No. C-22-11, § 3, 4-5-22; 17-10 by Ord. No. C-18-18, § 1, 8-21-18, Ord. No. C-20-37, § 1, 11-5-20, and Ord. No. C-21-08, § 2, 3-2-21. Also Chapter 15, Article X "Vacation Rental", Secs. 15-270 to 15-284 (Ord. No. C-15-29, § 1, 8-18-2015; Ord. No. C-16-25, § 1, 12-6-16; Ord. No. C-17-07, §§ 1 and 2, 4-19-17; Ord. No. C-23-34, § 1, 9-19-23), including 15-273 application for registration, 15-275 responsible party, 15-278 vacation rental standards, 15-282 penalties and 15-283 complaints. Text read on Municode, the City's code host, Supplement 67, online content updated October 22, 2026, on 2026-10-30.). 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 Lauderdale

Call the City's 24/7 Customer Support Center at 954-828-8000, the line the City gives for noise after business hours, or, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Community Enhancement and Compliance Division at 954-828-5207. The Fort Lauderdale Police Department's non-emergency number is 954-764-4357 (954-764-HELP), and 911 is for emergencies. Code violation reports can also be made online through LauderBuild or FixIt FTL (also an Android and Apple app), by email to CommunityEnhancement@fortlauderdale.gov with your name and address, in person at 700 NW 19th Avenue (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), or by mailing or bringing the Division's complaint form there. The City's Enhancement and Compliance page adds that since July 1, 2021 Florida law bars a code inspector from starting an investigation on an anonymous complaint, so a person reporting a violation must give a name and address first, unless the inspector has reason to believe the violation is an imminent threat to public health, safety or welfare or imminent destruction of habitat or sensitive resources. Under the code, noise control officers (environmental inspectors, building and zoning inspectors, code enforcement officers and police enforcement personnel) enforce the chapter (17-1, 17-3). Penalties: Chapter 17 refers to "section 1-6 and/or Chapter 11" of the Code (17-2), which were not part of the text read, so no fine amount for Chapter 17 is given here. At a vacation rental, a violation of Article X is a civil infraction with a $250 penalty for each uncontested violation for a first offense and $325 for each contested violation, repeat violations being assessed under section 11-21; a law enforcement officer may issue the citation, and a code inspector or law enforcement officer may issue it without a written warning first (15-282(c)(1)); and anyone may file a written complaint with the City Manager or a designee (15-283). Sources: https://www.fortlauderdale.gov/Government/Departments/Community-Services/Community-Enhancement-and-Compliance/Enhancement-and-Compliance (City lines, online, email, in person, anonymous complaints), https://www.flpd.gov/ and https://www.fortlauderdale.gov/Government/Departments/Fire-Rescue/Services-Resources/Community-Programs/Hurricane-Preparedness/Important-Contact-Information (police non-emergency), and the City's Noise Ordinance page, https://www.fortlauderdale.gov/Government/Departments/Community-Services/Community-Enhancement-and-Compliance/Enhancement-and-Compliance/Noise-Ordinance.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Fort Lauderdale. 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) Two tests run side by side: the Table I meter limits (17-6) and the plainly audible distance rules for amplified and non-amplified sound (17-7(1), (10)); sound over the 17-6 levels is also a noise disturbance under the general ban (17-1, 17-5). (2) Which limits apply depends on whether someone complained: on a complaint, the complainant's property sets the limit and the reading is taken there; without one, the source property's limits apply, read 5 feet from the building, structure or establishment (17-6(a), (b), (e)). (3) Apartments and condominiums: the real property line includes the vertical and horizontal boundaries of a dwelling unit in a multifamily dwelling, and the indoor limits apply across a common wall, floor or ceiling, read inside the complainant's unit (17-1, 17-6(c)); a multifamily dwelling in the code covers apartments, condominiums and coach homes but not hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, townhouses or cluster dwellings (17-1). (4) Bass: every Table I limit has a dBC figure beside the dBA one, the code notes that C-weighting "is more sensitive to low frequencies" than A-weighting (17-1), and amplified sound from commercial, mixed-use or industrial uses is judged indoors in dBC only (17-7(1)(e)). (5) The audibility rules need duration: the sound must be plainly audible "for a period of one (1) minute or longer", measured from the source property line (17-7(1)(a), (10)(a)). (6) A gap in the impulse rules: by day the code covers impulsive sounds that occur 10 or more times an hour and fewer than four times an hour, and says nothing about four to nine an hour (17-6(1)(a)). (7) Barking: unless the animal was unreasonably provoked, a domesticated animal's vocalizing is unlawful when it is plainly audible at or within the complainant's property line and lasts more than five minutes without interruption (an average of four vocalizations per minute), or happens two or more times a minute for 20 consecutive minutes (17-7(2)). (8) Exempt from the chapter (17-8): construction within the allowed hours that has building permits or needs none; emergency energy release devices; facility-wide warning devices; back-up alarms that self-adjust to ambient sound and meet OSHA standards; authorized emergency vehicles responding to or acting in an emergency; emergency work at the site of the emergency; normal aircraft operations; motor vehicles, mopeds and motorized scooters muffled in accordance with state law; vessels muffled under F.S. § 327.65; impulsive sound from the controlled detonation of explosives at quarries and construction sites; sanitation operations from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; emergency generators during a loss of power for any cause other than non-payment of utility services; and landscaping equipment within its hours. (9) Vehicles and boats: muffled motor vehicles and vessels are exempt (17-8(8), (9)), alongside a ban on revving an engine so as to cause a noise disturbance (17-7(9)), the 25-foot audibility rule for amplified sound from a motor vehicle or motorboat (17-7(1)(b), (c)), and a requirement that motorboats be muffled under F.S. § 327.65 (17-7(8)). (10) Vacation rentals (Chapter 15, Article X): each must have a noise level detection device that alerts the owner or responsible party and the guests, with data kept 180 days and made available to the City on request (15-273(a)(5)(g), 15-278(12)); the responsible party must be available 24 hours a day and able to respond in person within one hour of being notified by a guest, police, emergency personnel or the City (15-275(4), (5)); the unit must post a statement of the 25-foot night and 50-foot day audibility rule and the City's non-emergency police number (15-278(5)); and gatherings may not exceed one and a half times the overnight occupancy and never more than 20 persons, unless the owner of an owner-occupied rental is on site (15-278(2)(b)). A certificate of compliance may be denied, revoked or suspended once a violation of the article, any City ordinance or state law attributable to the property is adjudicated (15-282(a)); a special magistrate may suspend it for 180 days on a third violation and 365 days on a fourth, then 30 more days for each further violation "up to a maximum period of twelve (12) months", though the same subsection's examples give 395 and 415 days (15-282(d)(1)); renting during a suspension can draw fines of up to $1,000 a day per violation for a first violation, $5,000 a day per violation for a repeat violation, and up to $15,000 per violation if the special magistrate finds it irreparable or irreversible (15-282(d)(2)(b)). (11) Cross-reference slips: 17-8(12) sends generator testing to section 17-7(e), but the testing rules are in 17-7(5), and 15-278(6) sends the responsible party's duties to subsection 15-276, the false-information section; the duties are in 15-275. (12) The City's Noise Ordinance page says "We are updating our noise ordinance to better balance community well-being with business operations." without a date or a status. The codified text read today already carries the recent changes in its history lines: 17-6 was amended by Ord. No. C-24-48 on December 3, 2024 and 17-7 last by Ord. No. C-25-27 on June 30, 2025. Check the linked code for anything adopted later. (13) Big projects: the City Commission may approve a noise management plan that replaces the chapter's rules for a public transportation project that lasts more than 180 days, after one public hearing with mailed notice to owners within 300 feet, and with continuous noise monitoring (17-9); the City Manager may grant construction special permits of 30 days with one 15-day extension (longer in a Regional Activity Center), posted on at least two notices of at least 16 by 20 inches at the site (17-10). (14) The entertainment district's after-midnight bands are tied to day names (for example, Monday through Thursday from midnight to 2 a.m.), and the code does not say which schedule covers the early hours of Friday and Monday (17-7(1)(d)).

Document it before you report it

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