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Memphis noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: August 11, 2026

Quiet hours in Memphis

The code singles out 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. as the sensitive window but does not make it the only period when noise is illegal. Sec. 9-68-4(A) bans playing a radio, musical instrument, loudspeaker or other amplified sound device "in such manner or with such volume, particularly during the hours between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.," when it annoys or disturbs the quiet, comfort or repose of anyone in a dwelling, hotel, office or hospital, or of any person in the vicinity. Sec. 9-68-5 uses the same construction for "Yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing on the public streets," prohibiting it "particularly between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. or at any time or place" when it disturbs people nearby. So a loud stereo at 3:00 p.m. can still violate the ordinance; the night window makes the case easier, not the offence. Construction has its own separate and much stricter clock: Sec. 9-68-6 allows building erection, demolition, alteration, repair and street excavation in a residential district only between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays, which means Sunday work and all after-hours work is prohibited unless a permit is issued.

Decibel limits

There is no general decibel limit and no table of limits by zoning district or time of day for stationary sources such as stereos, parties, bars, HVAC units or barking dogs; Chapter 9-68 is entirely qualitative. The code's only dB numbers are in Chapter 11-56 (Vehicle Noise Regulations), Table I in Sec. 11-56-2, which makes it unlawful to operate a motorized vehicle on public or private property inside the city above these A-weighted limits: trucks and buses over 10,000 pounds, 87 dB(A) at 50 feet and 93 dB(A) at 25 feet; trucks and buses under 10,000 pounds, 80 dB(A) at 50 feet and 86 dB(A) at 25 feet; passenger cars, 78 dB(A) at 50 feet and 84 dB(A) at 25 feet; motorcycles, go-carts, trail bikes and other motorized vehicles not classified as trucks or passenger cars, 87 dB(A) at 50 feet and 93 dB(A) at 25 feet. Sec. 11-56-3 applies the same Table I ratings to mufflers. Sec. 11-56-5 caps train and rail-vehicle warning devices at 87 dB(A) at 50 feet when sustained for more than 30 seconds, except where a federal safety regulation requires the signal at a grade crossing. Measurements must be taken with a sound level meter meeting American National Standards Institute standards, kept in calibration and calibration-checked at the time of the reading (Sec. 11-56-2(A)), and a moving-vehicle reading must be confirmed with the vehicle stationary while the driver accelerates the engine to one-half throttle (Sec. 11-56-2(B)). The public-peace chapter adds no numbers either: Chapter 10-8 (Offenses Against Public Peace and Decency) contains no decibel figure and no "plainly audible at X feet" formula, only qualitative offences at Sec. 10-8-2 (disorderly conduct), Sec. 10-8-3 (disturbing a religious or other lawful assembly "by making any noise") and Sec. 10-8-4 (disturbing or disquieting school students or occupants).

What the ordinance actually says

Sec. 9-68-1: "The creating of any unreasonably loud, disturbing and unnecessary noise within the limits of the city is prohibited. Any noise of such character, intensity or duration as to be detrimental to the life or health of any individual, or in disturbance of the public peace and welfare is prohibited."

Sec. 9-68-4(A): "The playing of any radio, phonograph, or any musical instrument or sound device, including, but not limited to, loudspeakers or other devices for reproduction or amplification of sound, either independently or in connection with motion pictures, radio or television, in such manner or with such volume, particularly during the hours between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., as to annoy or disturb the quiet, comfort or repose of persons in my office, hospital or in any dwelling, hotel or other type of residence, or of any person in the vicinity is prohibited."

Sec. 9-68-5: "Yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing on the public streets, particularly between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. or at any time or place so as to annoy or disturb the quiet, comfort or repose of persons in any hospital, dwelling, hotel or any other type of residence or of any persons in the vicinity is prohibited."

Sec. 9-68-6: "The erection (including excavation), demolition, alteration or repair of any building or the excavation of streets and highways in any residential district or section, other than between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays is prohibited, except in case of urgent necessity in the interest of public health and safety, and then only with a permit from the chief building inspector, which permit may be granted for a period not to exceed 30 days while the emergency continues, if the chief building inspector determines that the public health and safety will not be impaired thereby and that loss or inconvenience will result to a party in interest if such permit is not granted."

Sec. 9-68-7: "The keeping of any animal, bird or fowl which, by causing frequent or long continued noise, shall disturb the comfort or repose of any person in the vicinity is prohibited."

Sec. 11-56-2: "It is unlawful to operate a motorized vehicle, including, but not limited to, cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, motorbikes, minibikes, and go-carts, within the city limits, on private or public property, which creates a noise or sound which exceeds the noise level limits set out in Table I below:"

Sec. 11-56-6: "Violations of this chapter shall be prosecuted in the same manner as other misdemeanor violations of this Code, and shall be initiated upon issuance of a traffic citation ticket, or brought upon complaint of a private citizen by issuance of a summons, after verification by a police officer using a sound meter."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Memphis, Tennessee Code of Ordinances, Title 9 (Health and Safety), Chapter 9-68 "Noise Control," sections 9-68-1 through 9-68-13. 9-68-1 general prohibition on unreasonably loud, disturbing and unnecessary noise; 9-68-2 excessive noise near a school, institution of learning, church, court or hospital; 9-68-3 noise to attract attention to a performance, show or sale; 9-68-4 playing of radios and phonographs, including the 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. window and the transit-bus rule; 9-68-5 yelling, shouting and singing; 9-68-6 building operations hours and the urgent-necessity permit; 9-68-7 noisy animals and fowl; 9-68-8 blowing steam whistles; 9-68-9 noisy vehicles generally; 9-68-10 loading vehicles and opening or destruction of bales or boxes; 9-68-11 loudspeakers or amplifiers on vehicles; 9-68-12 mufflers for steam and stationary internal combustion engines; 9-68-13 exemptions. Also Title 11 (Vehicles and Traffic), Chapter 11-56 "Vehicle Noise Regulations," sections 11-56-1 through 11-56-7: 11-56-1 definitions (all technical definitions per ANSI S1.1-1960), 11-56-2 Table I dB(A) limits for motor vehicles plus measurement procedure, 11-56-3 mufflers, 11-56-4 horns and other warning devices, 11-56-5 trains, 11-56-6 manner of enforcement, 11-56-7 exemptions. Currency verified on the code's front page: "CODE OF ORDINANCES City of MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE Codified through Ordinance No. 5965, enacted December 16, 2025. (Supp. No. 32)," Supplement 32, online content updated on July 2, 2026. Retrieved and re-verified 11 August 2026.). 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 Memphis

For noise happening right now (loud music, a party, a car stereo), call the Memphis Police Department non-emergency line at 901-545-2677 (545-COPS); 911 is for emergencies only. For construction outside the Sec. 9-68-6 hours and other code issues, file a service request with Memphis 311: dial 311 inside the city, call 901-636-6500 (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., after-hours voicemail), use the Memphis 311 app, or submit online at 311.memphistn.gov. Vehicle noise under Chapter 11-56 can be started by a resident: Sec. 11-56-6 lets a case be "brought upon complaint of a private citizen by issuance of a summons, after verification by a police officer using a sound meter," so the officer, not the resident, has to take the meter reading.

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

Worth knowing

Construction carve-out: Sec. 9-68-6 restricts residential-district construction to 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. weekdays and 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturdays, with no Sunday hours at all; the only escape is an urgent-necessity permit from the chief building inspector, capped at 30 days (amended by Ord. No. 5660, 10-3-2017). Exemptions in Sec. 9-68-13: (1) city vehicles engaged upon necessary public business; (2) night and weekend bridge, street and highway work by or on behalf of the city, county or state where the public welfare makes daytime work impossible; (3) the reasonable use of amplifiers or loudspeakers in noncommercial public addresses; and (4) campaign sound trucks "during the hours of 10:00 a.m. through 9:00 p.m." on election day and the ten days immediately preceding it. Standalone bans that do not depend on volume at all: Sec. 9-68-3 prohibits using a drum, loudspeaker or other device to draw attention to a performance, show or sale, and Sec. 9-68-11 flatly prohibits mechanical loudspeakers or amplifiers on trucks or other moving or standing vehicles for advertising or other purposes. Sec. 9-68-4(B) requires an ear plug for radios on public transit. Animals get their own provision (Sec. 9-68-7, frequent or long continued noise). Vehicles are policed under a separate chapter with its own exemption list (Sec. 11-56-7: ambulances on call; garbage trucks while working; city fire equipment on emergency call and return; city, county, state and federal law-enforcement equipment on emergency call; election sound trucks; and tree and brush removal equipment, all of which except city fire equipment must still keep mufflers within the chapter's noise limits). Codification quirk: Sec. 11-56-7(E) cross-references "section 9-68-13(C) and (D)," but Sec. 9-68-13 is numbered (1) through (4) and its sound-truck provision is (4), so that internal cross-reference is stale. Chapter 9-68 carries a charter reference to § 855 (authority to regulate and prohibit unnecessary noises) and a state law reference to T.C.A. § 55-8-193 (excessive motor-vehicle noise); Sec. 11-56-3 carries a state law reference to T.C.A. § 55-9-202 (mufflers). Zoning adds no general noise numbers in the city code itself: Title 15 is a one-line pointer reading "The Unified Development Code is currently being amended by the County and can be found here: http://www.shelbycountytn.gov/index.aspx?NID=924," so the UDC text lives on the county site rather than in the city code.

Document it before you report it

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