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Indianapolis noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: August 11, 2026

Quiet hours in Indianapolis

There is no blanket night curfew: § 391-302(b) makes "unreasonable noise" unlawful at any hour of the day. The night hours instead work as an evidentiary shortcut. Note the structure of § 391-302(c)(2): the base offence is playing a radio, television, digital media player, loudspeaker, sound amplifier, musical instrument or any sound-producing device "in a manner that makes unreasonable noise and continuing to do so after being asked to stop"; separately, operating such a device so that the sound is "plainly audible to a person with normal hearing" from any place other than the property the source sits on, between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., is prima facie evidence of a violation (§ 391-302(c)(2)a). The same 10:00 p.m. - 7:00 a.m. plainly-audible test applies to engines, motors, blowers and power fans that lack a compliant muffler or noise-reducing device (§ 391-302(c)(6)b — and (c)(6)a covers the same hours in any public street or public place), to steam whistles (§ 391-302(c)(5)), and to emptying, picking up or delivering any trash container over six cubic feet (§ 391-302(c)(8)). Construction hours are separate, stricter, and are a flat ban rather than an audibility test: the erection, demolition, alteration or repair of any building, or excavation for it, is prohibited between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. unless the division of construction and business services of the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services grants a permit (§ 391-302(c)(9)); operating a pile driver, steam shovel, pneumatic hammer, derrick or steam or electric hoist carries the same 7:00 p.m. - 7:00 a.m. ban, with exceptions for public-utility emergency repairs and for permitted work (§ 391-302(c)(13)). Vendor vehicles (ice-cream trucks and the like) may not run their sound equipment between 10:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. in any public street or public place (§ 391-302(c)(14)); that subsection reaches only public streets and public places, so on its own it does not cover the same equipment operated on private property.

Decibel limits

There is no general decibel limit anywhere in the Indianapolis code — no dB ceiling by zoning district, no property-line limit for residential noise, and no day/night dB table. Everyday noise is judged by the "unreasonable noise" definition in § 391-302(a) plus plainly-audible tests. This was verified by programmatically pulling the full text of all 121 chapters of the code and searching for "decibel", "db(A)", "db(C)" and "dBA", and separately for "sound level", "noise level", "sound pressure", "Ldn", "Leq" and "ambient noise". Decibel figures appear in only four chapters (391, 611, 742, 743), in six places, each tied to a specific source: (1) § 391-302(c)(14) — a vendor vehicle's bell, radio, loudspeaker or amplifier may not be set to produce sound "in excess of one hundred fifteen (115) decibels, measured at six (6) inches from the sound-producing amplifier of the speaker"; (2) § 611-102(a) — motor vehicle muffler standards measured at least fifty (50) feet from the vehicle: vehicles with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of 7,000 lb or more, 88 db(A) at 35 mph or less and 90 db(A) above 35 mph; motorcycles, motorbikes and minicycles, 82 db(A) at 35 mph or less and 86 db(A) above 35 mph; any other motor vehicle, 76 db(A) at 35 mph or less and 82 db(A) above 35 mph; (3) § 611-502 — a loudspeaker or bell used to advertise from a vehicle may not be capable of emitting a signal "louder than one hundred (100) decibels at full volume, measured at any distance from said device"; (4) zoning § 743-306 — where a portion of a drive-through lane sits between the primary structure and a property boundary with a Dwelling District, speaker noise is limited to 70 decibels at that property line; (5) zoning § 742-206 — in the Gravel, Sand, and Borrow Secondary Zoning District, sound from any source may not exceed 70 dB(C) and 60 dB(A) at the lot line, measured with an ANSI-compliant sound level meter on slow response at least four feet above ground, with a violation of either scale being a violation; (6) also in § 742-206, Table 742-206-2 sets maximum airblast limits for mining blasts at the lot line (134 dB at 0 Hz or lower flat response, 133 dB at 2 Hz or lower, 129 dB at 6 Hz or lower, and 105 dB C-weighted slow response). None of these gives a resident a decibel number to cite against a loud neighbour.

What the ordinance actually says

§ 391-302(a): "For purposes of this chapter, unreasonable noise shall mean sound that is of a volume, frequency, or pattern that prohibits, disrupts, injures, or endangers the health, safety, welfare, prosperity, comfort, or repose of reasonable persons of ordinary sensitivities within the city, given the time of day and environment in which the sound is made."

§ 391-302(b): "Except as otherwise provided in this section, it shall be unlawful for any person to make, continue, or cause to be made or continued any unreasonable noise."

§ 391-302(c)(2)a: "The operation of any such machine or device in a manner that produces sound plainly audible to a person with normal hearing: a. From any place other than the property on which the sound source is located when the machine or device is being operated between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.;"

§ 391-302(c)(9): "The erection, demolition, alteration, or repair of any building, or the excavation therefor between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., except:"

§ 391-302(c)(14): "which equipment is set to produce any noise, music, or sound in excess of one hundred fifteen (115) decibels, measured at six (6) inches from the sound-producing amplifier of the speaker;"

§ 391-302(d): "The first violation in any twelve-month period shall be subject to admission of violation and payment of the designated civil penalty through the ordinance violations bureau in accordance with Chapter 103 of this Code."

§ 611-102(a): "With respect to the following vehicles and equipment, the muffling or noise abatement device shall be at least sufficient to eliminate noise emission from the motor vehicle or equipment by the guidelines set forth in the following schedule. The measurements shall be made at least fifty (50) feet from the motor vehicle, device or equipment in question:"

§ 611-102(a)(1): "Any motor vehicle with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of seven thousand (7,000) pounds or more: a. 88 db(A) for vehicles traveling thirty-five (35) miles per hour or less; or b. 90 db(A) for vehicles traveling over thirty-five (35) miles per hour."

§ 611-502: "said loudspeaker, bell or other device shall not have the capability or capacity to emit a signal louder than one hundred (100) decibels at full volume, measured at any distance from said device"

§ 742-206: "The sound level created by any source shall not exceed 70 dB(C) and 60 dB(A), measured at the lot line"

§ 743-306: "the noise from speakers shall be limited to 70 decibels at the property line with the Dwelling District"

§ 441-111(a)(4): "The police shall enforce all provisions of this section relating to any kind of quiet zone."

§ 391-301(2): "a determination of violation of this chapter may not be based on the content of any message conveyed during the creation of any noise or the identity of any person responsible for or associated with the creation of any noise."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Revised Code of the Consolidated City and County (Indianapolis / Marion County, Indiana), Title II - Public Order and Safety, Chapter 391 - Nuisances, Article III - Noise: § 391-301 (public policy and content-neutrality clause), § 391-302 (Unlawful noises — subsection (a) defines "unreasonable noise", (b) is the general prohibition, (c)(1)-(14) enumerate specific acts including horns, sound devices and the 10 p.m.-7 a.m. plainly-audible test, yelling, animals, steam whistles, engines and blowers, defective vehicles, loading and trash collection, construction 7 p.m.-7 a.m., quiet zones at 50 feet, metal hauling, buses and rail cars, pile drivers, and vendor vehicles with the 115-decibel cap, and (d) sets penalties), § 391-303 (reserved — repealed by G.O. 30, 2006, § 2, passed Feb. 13, 2006). Amendment history shown on the sections themselves: § 391-301 (Code 1975, § 18-1; G.O. 30, 2006, § 1); § 391-302 (Code 1975, § 18-2; G.O. 3, 2002, § 5; G.O. 30, 2006, § 1; G.O. 63, 2009, § 16; G.O. 41, 2016, § 2) — i.e. the noise article has not been amended since 2016. Related provisions elsewhere in the same code: Chapter 391 Article V, §§ 391-501 to 391-506 (aircraft used for noncommercial sound broadcasts); Chapter 441, § 441-111 (zones of quiet); Chapter 611, § 611-102 (mufflers required; db(A) standards measured at 50 feet), §§ 611-501 to 611-503 (vending-vehicle audible advertising, 100-decibel cap); Chapter 531, § 531-204 (animals causing nuisance); Chapter 811, § 811-312 (prolonged externally sounding alarms); zoning Chapters 742-743, §§ 742-206 and 743-306 (mining district lot-line limits and airblast table, and drive-through speaker limit); Chapter 102, § 102-3(2) (geographic meaning of "city", excluded cities). Version checked: Supplement 47, codified through Ordinance No. 39, 2026 — confirmed against the code's own Supplement History Table, whose last row is "39, 2026 / Included / 47".). Verified against the live code on 2026-08-11. 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 Indianapolis

For noise happening right now, call the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) non-emergency line at 317-327-3811 (staffed 24/7; dial 911 only if there is an emergency). Marion County residents can also dial 311 for non-emergency city services. Enforcement of Chapter 391 is a police/ordinance-violation matter: § 391-302(d) routes the first violation in any twelve-month period to the ordinance violations bureau under Chapter 103, and § 391-203 gives abatement authority to the division of construction and business services, the fire department and IMPD. (Note: § 441-111(a)(4) places enforcement on the police only for the quiet-zone provisions of that section — it is not a general noise-enforcement clause.) For after-hours construction noise and questions about whether a 7 p.m.-7 a.m. work permit was granted, contact the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services, the agency that issues those permits under § 391-302(c)(9); general intake is the Mayor's Action Center / Indy 311 at 317-327-4622 (8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.) or online at request.indy.gov (confirmed live; it redirects to request.indy.gov/citizen/s/). Barking-dog complaints under § 531-204 go to Indianapolis Animal Care Services via the same Mayor's Action Center intake.

For the general playbook — documenting the problem, talking to a landlord or HOA, when 311 beats 911 — see the noise complaints guide.

Worth knowing

Ask-them-to-stop element: most of the enumerated acts in § 391-302(c) — horns, sound devices, yelling, animals, engines and blowers, rattling vehicles, loading and unloading, metal hauling, railway cars and buses — are only violations where the person "continu[es] to do so after being asked to stop", so a request to stop is effectively built into the offence. Special-occasion permits override several subsections ("except when a permit granted therefor for some special occasion is in effect"). Construction after-hours permits come from the division of construction and business services of the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services, either as an emergency permit of up to three days at a time (renewable in three-day blocks) in the case of urgent necessity, or as advance permission granted when the work permit is issued or during the progress of the work (§ 391-302(c)(9)a-b). Racing entrants and owners or operators of equipment used in construction, demolition or similar labor or maintenance trades are exempt from the engine/muffler subsection (§ 391-302(c)(6)b). Quiet zones: near a school, institution of learning, church, court or hospital in use, noise plainly audible above normal ambient levels at fifty (50) feet from the source on an adjacent street is prima facie a violation, but only where conspicuous signs are displayed indicating the quiet zone (§ 391-302(c)(10)); § 441-111 separately puts hospital, church, school and court zones of quiet under the board of public works, and lets the board or the chief of police create temporary quiet zones, including around the home of a dangerously ill person. In a public street or public place, a sound device plainly audible more than seventy-five (75) feet from the source is prima facie a violation regardless of hour, as is audible playback in a public conveyance other than a taxicab or jitney unless the listener is using earplugs (§ 391-302(c)(2)b-c). Barking dogs have their own ordinance in addition to § 391-302(c)(4): § 531-204 bans keeping an animal whose "frequent or habitual howling, yelping, barking, screeching" causes serious annoyance, with a first fine of at least $25 and possible impoundment. Burglar and car alarms must self-silence within fifteen (15) minutes (§ 811-312). Aircraft used for noncommercial sound broadcasts must register with the controller and may make announcements only between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., and not below 1,500 feet (§§ 391-502, 391-505); commercial airborne sound advertising is banned outright (§ 391-506). Food-vending vehicles may not use audible advertising while in motion (§ 611-503) or within 1,000 feet of a grade or junior high school between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on days when school is in session (§ 611-501(c)). Penalties escalate: the first violation in any twelve-month period goes to the ordinance violations bureau, a second is at least $250 and any subsequent violation at least $500 (§ 391-302(d)). Content neutrality is written into the ordinance — § 391-301(2) bars basing a violation on the content of any message or the identity of the speaker. Territorial scope (Unigov): under § 102-3(2) the "city" geographically means the territory within the county boundaries except territory within an excluded city, so Beech Grove, Lawrence, Southport and the Town of Speedway are outside Chapter 391 and run their own noise rules.

Document it before you report it

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