Noise ordinances › Gainesville, FL

Gainesville noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: November 9, 2026

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Quiet hours in Gainesville

Gainesville has no single quiet-hours rule. The code defines daytime as 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and nighttime as 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. the following day (15-2), and the main test, sound plainly audible 200 feet or more from the property line of its source, applies at any hour (15-2, 15-3(a)). What changes at night, 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.: the decibel limits in Table II drop by 6 dB(A) (15-3(c)); no loudspeaker, public address system or similar device may be run so as to create a noise disturbance (15-3(d)(3)); no mechanically, electrically or gasoline motor-driven tool may be run so as to cause a noise disturbance (15-3(d)(7), headed domestic power tools); and yelling, shouting, whistling, hooting or generally creating a racket in a residential area loses the exemption that otherwise covers the nonamplified human voice (15-3(e)(1)). Construction has its own hours: tools or equipment used in construction, drilling, repair, alteration or demolition may not create a noise disturbance across a real property boundary between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following day, except emergency work by public service utilities or other work approved by the city manager or designee (15-3(d)(5)). Animals: at any hour, no one may own, possess or harbor an animal or bird whose howling, barking, meowing, squawking or other sound creates a noise disturbance across a residential real property boundary, is of frequent or continued duration for ten or more consecutive minutes, or is intermittent for 30 or more minutes (15-3(d)(4)). Car audio: at any hour, sound from a radio, tape player or other device in or on a motor vehicle on a street or highway may not be plainly audible 25 feet or more from the vehicle, or louder than necessary for the convenient hearing of persons inside the vehicle in areas adjoining churches, schools or hospitals (15-3(d)(9)). Alarms: a stationary emergency signaling device may not be tested between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. the following day, a test may run no longer than 60 seconds, a complete system test may happen no more than once in each calendar month, only on weekdays and not during nighttime hours, and an exterior burglar or fire alarm must shut off automatically within 15 minutes of activation (15-3(d)(6)). Special permits (15-4): an entertainment permit runs only between 9 a.m. and midnight, or 9 a.m. and 1 a.m. the following day on Friday and Saturday and on New Year's Eve, or 9 a.m. and 2 a.m. where no private residences, hospitals or nursing homes are within a 0.5 mile radius (15-4(b)(4)); other special permits only between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. on weekdays (15-4(c)(3)); and a fraternity or sorority sound level permit covers 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. the following day on designated dates (15-4(e)(1)).

Decibel limits

Table II, maximum sound levels for continuous airborne sound from a source on private property, set by the land use of the source, not of the listener (15-3(c)): from residential land, 61 dB(A) in the daytime (8 a.m. to 10 p.m.) and 55 dB(A) at night (10 p.m. to 8 a.m.); from commercial land, 66 dB(A) in the daytime and 60 dB(A) at night. The limit applies when measured at a distance of 200 feet or more from the real property line of the source, and a source over the limit is deemed prima facie (presumed unless shown otherwise) to be a noise disturbance (15-3(c)). Residential land use means the residential districts of the land development code plus hospitals, public and private schools, colleges and universities, conservation districts, planned development districts that contain dwelling units and places of religious assembly; commercial means every area not classed as residential (15-2). The same Table II limits apply to motor vehicles when they are not traveling on public streets, highways, driveways, parking lots and ways open to vehicle travel (15-3(d)(1)). Table I, sound that can cause permanent hearing loss, applies everywhere in the city, and neither the exemptions in 15-3(e) nor a special permit under 15-4 lifts it: 90 dB(A) for 8 continuous hours a day, 92 for 6, 95 for 4, 97 for 3, 100 for 2, 102 for 1.5, 105 for 1, 110 for half an hour and 115 for a quarter of an hour; Table I-A, impulsive sound: 145 dB(A) for 1 repetition per 24-hour period, 135 for 10 and 125 for 100 (15-3(b)(1)). Those two tables are not broken when the only people exposed are trespassers, people invited onto private property by the person causing the sound, or that person's employees or contractor's employees (15-3(b)(2)). Permit figures: an event under an entertainment permit is limited to a continuous airborne sound level of 70 dB(A) measured 200 feet from the real property boundary of the source property, or from the boundary of the closed area when adjacent streets are closed (15-4(b)(5)); a fraternity or sorority permit allows a residential level of 65 dB(A) (15-4(e)(1)); and no permit may let a loudspeaker or sound device on the exterior of a building exceed Table II, except emergency systems (15-4(d)). Measurement (15-5(a)): a sound level meter meeting ANSI S1.4-1971 (R1976), A-weighting unless another is stated (15-2), slow meter response, a calibration check at the time of each measurement, a windscreen at all times, the microphone at least three feet from any ground, wall, floor, ceiling, roof and other plane surface, taken by city officials designated by the city manager. Section 15-5(a)(3) says the measurement is made at any point on the property into which the sound is being transmitted, or inside a complainant's own premises in a building with multiple occupancy (15-5(a)(4)), while 15-3(c) says 200 feet or more from the source's property line; the code does not reconcile the two. No meter is needed for the plainly audible test (15-5(b)), and 15-5(a)(1) says a violation may occur without measurements being made. Vehicle audio on streets has no decibel figure: the test is plainly audible at 25 feet (15-3(d)(9)).

What the ordinance actually says

§ 15-2: "Plainly audible, except for section 15-3(d)(9) means any sound or noise produced by any source, or reproduced by a radio, tape player, television, CD player, electronic audio equipment, musical instrument, sound amplifier or other mechanical or electronic sound making device, or nonamplified human voice that can be clearly heard by a person using their normal hearing faculties, at a distance of 200 feet or more from the real property line of the source of the sound or noise."

§ 15-2: "Nighttime means 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. the following day."

§ 15-3(a): "It shall be unlawful and a violation of this chapter to make, cause or allow the making of any sound that causes a noise disturbance, as defined in section 15-2."

§ 15-3(c): "No person shall create, operate or cause to be operated on private property any source of sound in such a manner as to create a continuous airborne sound which exceeds the limits set forth for the source land use category as defined in section 15-2 in Table II when measured at a distance of 200 feet or more from the real property line of the source of the sound."

§ 15-3(d)(4): "No person shall own, possess or harbor an animal or bird that howls, barks, meows, squawks or makes other sounds that:" a.: "Create a noise disturbance across a residential real property boundary;" b.: "Are of frequent or continued duration for ten or more consecutive minutes; or" c.: "Are intermittent for a period of 30 or more minutes."

§ 15-3(d)(5): "No person shall operate or cause the operation of any tools or equipment used in construction, drilling, repair, alteration or demolition work between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. the following day such that the sound therefrom creates a noise disturbance across a real property boundary, except for emergency work by public service utilities or for other work approved by the city manager or designee."

§ 15-5(b)(4): "The official need not determine the particular words or phrases being said or produced or the name of any song or artist producing the noise or sound. The detection of a rhythmic bass reverberating type of noise or sound is sufficient to constitute a plainly audible noise or sound."

§ 15-6(a)(1)a.: "When a designated official of the city determines that there is a violation of section 15-3, except for violations of section 15-3(d)(9) and the sound is coming from non-posted property, the official shall issue a written warning to the person or persons responsible for the sound."

§ 15-6(d): "It shall not be a lawful defense to assert that some other person caused the sound."

§ 15-7(a): "The provisions of this chapter may be enforced by civil citation or by criminal citation. Any person not in compliance with this chapter shall, upon conviction, be subject to the penalties designated in section 1-9 or section 2-339. Each violation shall be considered a separate offense, which can be prosecuted separately."

§ 1-9(a): "the violation of any such provision of this Code or any ordinance, rule or regulation shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500.00) or imprisonment for a term not exceeding sixty (60) days, or by both such fine and imprisonment. Each day any violation of any provision of this Code or of any ordinance shall continue shall constitute a separate offense."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Code of Ordinances, City of Gainesville, Florida, Part II, Chapter 15 (Noise), Secs. 15-1 to 15-7: 15-1 Legislative findings; declaration of necessity (Ord. No. 3868, § 1, 6-22-93), 15-2 Definitions (Ord. No. 3868, § 1, 6-22-93; Ord. No. 960008, § 1, 12-8-97; Ord. No. 981314, § 1, 4-10-00; Ord. No. 110199, § 2, 9-15-11; Ord. No. 2022-275, § 1, 9-15-22), 15-3 Prohibited acts (Ord. No. 3868, § 1, 6-22-93; Ord. No. 960008, § 1, 12-8-97; Ord. No. 981314, § 1, 4-10-00; Ord. No. 110672, §§ 1, 2, 7-19-12; Ord. No. 2022-275, § 2, 9-15-22), 15-4 Special permits (Ord. No. 3868, § 1, 6-22-93; Ord. No. 960423, § 1, 9-22-97; Ord. No. 960008, § 1, 12-8-97; Ord. No. 970646, § 1, 12-15-97; Ord. No. 980395, § 1, 9-28-98; Ord. No. 980590, § 1, 10-26-98; Ord. No. 981314, § 1, 4-10-00; Ord. No. 000048, § 1, 8-14-00; Ord. No. 000712, § 1, 1-8-00), 15-5 Measurement or assessment of sound (Ord. No. 3868, § 1, 6-22-93; Ord. No. 981314, § 1, 4-10-00; Ord. No. 2022-275, § 3, 9-15-22), 15-6 Violation procedures (Ord. No. 3868, § 1, 6-22-93; Ord. No. 4016, § 1, 9-12-94; Ord. No. 951346, § 1, 5-28-96; Ord. No. 960008, § 1, 12-8-97; Ord. No. 981314, § 1, 4-10-00; Ord. No. 050635, § 1, 10-23-06; Ord. No. 2022-275, § 4, 9-15-22), 15-7 Penalties (Ord. No. 4016, § 2, 9-12-94; Ord. No. 981314, § 1, 4-10-00; Ord. No. 2022-275, § 5, 9-15-22). The editor's note says Ord. No. 3868, adopted June 22, 1993, repealed the former Chapter 15 and enacted a new one. Text read on Municode, the City's code host, version of Aug. 31, 2026 (Supp. No. 64, Update 1), codified through Ordinance No. 2024-740, adopted November 6, 2025, on 2026-11-09. Section 15-7 points to sections 1-9 and 2-339 for the penalties: Sec. 1-9, General penalty; abatement (Code 1960, § 1-8), was read in Chapter 1 on the same day; Sec. 2-339 was not in the text read.). 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 Gainesville

Call the Gainesville Police Department's non-emergency dispatch line, 352-955-1818, while the noise is going on (911 for emergencies). The City's Code Enforcement who-to-call table lists Noise under the Gainesville Police Department at that number, and the department's contact page gives the same number as its non-emergency dispatch line and 352-393-7500 for its front desk (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Code Enforcement's own list of what it handles does not include noise, and the police online report form does not list it either. The department's General Order 40.26 (Noise Ordinance Enforcement, revised 02/10/2025) says that, where the noise is not necessarily plainly audible, or is no longer audible or measurable by a meter, the person disturbed must call the complaint in through dispatch at the time of the disturbance or within a reasonable time after, and that officers, not residents, sign the warning or citation. Barking is in the City's own Chapter 15 (15-3(d)(4)) and the same order covers animal noise, so it goes to the police line too; the City's table sends other animal matters to Alachua County Animal Control at 352-264-6870. What the code provides: a written warning first (15-6(a)(1)a), then a reasonable time to comply, which is 15 minutes for most sources, two calendar days for vehicular sound emitters, and instantly when Table I or I-A is exceeded or for a radio or similar device in a motor vehicle (15-2); a citation follows if the sound is not reduced or comes back (15-6(a)(2)a). A warning or citation for the same type of sound within the previous year (365 days) counts as the warning (15-6(a)(1)c). No warning is needed for car audio under 15-3(d)(9) (15-6(a)(1)d) or, for the plainly audible test, on property posted with the code's warning sign (15-6(b)). For barking, a citation can follow if the official hears the same noise more than ten minutes after the warning (15-6(c)(2)). Penalty: the chapter may be enforced by civil citation or by criminal citation, with the penalties designated in section 1-9 or section 2-339, and each violation is a separate offense (15-7(a)). Section 1-9(a), the code's general penalty where no specific penalty is provided, is a fine of up to $500 or imprisonment for up to 60 days, or both, and each day a violation continues is a separate offense. Section 2-339, the civil citation schedule, was not in the text read on 2026-11-09, so the civil figures come from the police department's orders: General Order 40.21 (Civil Citations, revised 01/23/2025) reproduces the City's schedule with Chapter 15 noise violations as Class I, $250.00, and says a person who does not pay or appear may face a judgment for the maximum civil penalty of $500.00, the same ceiling Florida Statutes 162.21(5)(b) sets for a civil penalty under that section. General Order 40.26 says a second violation within 365 days of the warning carries double the scheduled fine, a third a mandatory court appearance, and a fourth a criminal charge, and it classes a noise offense as a second-degree misdemeanor. Three convictions within 12 months for the same type of sound emitter let the court authorize the City to confiscate it, and a further conviction authorizes permanent confiscation (15-7(b)). Sources: https://www.gainesvillefl.gov/Government-Pages/Government/Departments/Sustainable-Development/Code-Enforcement/Community-Resources, https://police.gainesvillefl.gov/Site-Footer/Footer-Widgets/Contact-Us, https://www.gainesvillefl.gov/Government-Pages/Government/Departments/Sustainable-Development/Code-Enforcement/Report-A-Code-Violation, https://police.gainesvillefl.gov/Services/Report-an-Incident/Online-Reporting/File-an-Online-Police-Report, https://public.powerdms.com/GPD/documents/298 and https://public.powerdms.com/GPD/documents/293.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Gainesville. 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) Almost everything is judged 200 feet out. Both main tests are taken 200 feet or more from the property line of the source: the plainly audible test (15-2) and the Table II decibel limits (15-3(c)). The exceptions are car audio on a street or highway, judged at 25 feet (15-3(d)(9)), and barking, which is also a violation by duration alone (15-3(d)(4)b, c). A noise disturbance is defined only as sound that exceeds the chapter's limits or is plainly audible as defined (15-2), so sound that carries next door but cannot be clearly heard 200 feet from the source's property line is not plainly audible under the definition. (2) The police order is wider than the code. General Order 40.26 lists a third kind of noise disturbance, sound that disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities, for noise that is not necessarily plainly audible, or is no longer audible or measurable by a meter; the code's definition, last amended by Ord. No. 2022-275, has only the two tests, and the code controls. (3) The limits follow the source's land use, and residential is broad: it takes in hospitals, schools, colleges and universities, conservation districts and places of religious assembly, while commercial is everything else (15-2). (4) Night starts at 10 p.m. and ends at 8 a.m., not 7 a.m. (15-2), but the construction rule runs 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. (15-3(d)(5)), so construction equipment is outside its night rule from 6 a.m. while motor-driven tools under 15-3(d)(7) stay under theirs until 8 a.m. The general prohibition in 15-3(a) has no hours, and the exemptions in 15-3(e) do not list daytime construction or yard work. (5) Bass counts: an official need not make out words, a song or an artist, and a rhythmic bass reverberating sound is enough to be plainly audible (15-5(b)(4)); the official uses normal hearing with no mechanical aid and needs a direct line of sight and hearing to the source property (15-5(b)(1), (2)). (6) Barking has three separate tests joined by or: a noise disturbance across a residential property boundary, ten or more consecutive minutes, or 30 or more minutes of intermittent sound (15-3(d)(4)). The follow-up rule in 15-6(c)(2) calls it section 15-3(d)(5) (animal noises), but (d)(5) is construction and animals are at (d)(4). (7) Car audio is stricter than everything else: plainly audible at 25 feet, and no warning is needed before a citation (15-3(d)(9), 15-6(a)(1)d); law enforcement and emergency vehicles' communication devices are outside it. Florida Statutes 316.3045 sets the same 25 foot test statewide as a noncriminal traffic infraction and lets a local authority impose more stringent rules (316.3045(1)(a), (4), (5)). (8) Posted property: where a sign in the code's wording warns that a stereo, radio or amplifier that can be heard 200 feet away is prohibited, a citation is issued with no warning; the city manager may require posting of commercial property, including a business's parking lot, that is generally unattended or where two or more citations ending in a fine or a finding of guilt came from patrons or visitors within 90 days (15-6(b)). (9) Owners and tenants answer for the sound: the owner, tenant, lessee, manager, overseer, agent or anyone lawfully entitled to possess the property is responsible, and it is no defense that someone else made the sound (15-6(d)). (10) The equipment can be taken: confiscation after three convictions in 12 months for the same type of emitter, permanent after a further conviction (15-7(b)); and a device over Table I or I-A is a health hazard the city manager may have removed or toned down instantly (15-6(a)(2)b). A violation that endangers public health, safety and quality of life is a public nuisance a court may stop by restraining order or injunction (15-6(e)). (11) Exemptions (15-3(e)), none of which lifts Tables I and I-A: nonamplified human voice, except yelling, shouting, whistling, hooting or generally creating a racket at night in a residential area; authorized emergency vehicles; emergency work; aircraft operated under federal law; interstate motor and rail carriers where federal law preempts local rules; motor vehicles to the extent regulated by F.S. § 316.293; nonamplified public speaking on public property or right-of-way under legal authority; and organized sporting events, fireworks and permitted parades on public property or public right-of-way. (12) Permits (15-4): applied for in writing to the city manager or designee at least ten days ahead, not counting holidays and weekends, and treated as issued if no decision comes at least three days before the event (15-4(a)(2), (3)). An entertainment permit needs a function open to the general public on public property or a public space, lasts four hours in a 24-hour day unless reasonably extended, and a public space may host only six permitted functions per calendar year (15-4(b)). Off-campus fraternities and sororities get sound level permits on five dates a year, three of them the last Saturday of fall and spring rush and the Saturday of the University of Florida Homecoming, valid only at the residence with all sources of music inside a completely enclosed building (15-4(e)). (13) A review that has not changed the text: the City Commission's November 16, 2023 agenda carried a Chapter 15 Noise Ordinance Evaluation from the police department, asking for direction on updating the ordinance; the newest ordinance in the chapter's history lines is still No. 2022-275 (9-15-22), and none of the five adopted ordinances Municode lists as not yet codified on 2026-11-09 concerns noise. (14) Fines: the $500 and 60 day figures are from Sec. 1-9 itself. The $250 civil figure, the doubling and the $500 civil maximum come from the police department's general orders (2025 revisions), not from Sec. 2-339, which was not read; Municode marks Appendix A, the schedule the order reproduces, as modified in the Aug. 31, 2026 version, so the current civil figure may differ.

Document it before you report it

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