Noise ordinances › Miami, FL

Miami noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: September 3, 2026

Quiet hours in Miami

No single all-purpose quiet-hours clause. Sec. 36-5(a): business establishments may not play music boxes, jukeboxes, radios, musical instruments or other musical devices between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. unless inside a closed building and not audible outside so as to disturb anyone in a dwelling or hotel. Sec. 36-4(b): any business sharing a property line with a residential use may not play or amplify music in its outdoor spaces between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Sec. 36-6: construction, drilling and demolition equipment is prohibited between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. on weekdays and at any time on Sundays or holidays where it creates a noise disturbance at a residential district boundary or in a noise-sensitive zone. Sec. 36-8: mechanical and fire equipment drops to its lower night limits between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Sec. 36-9: freight and commercial deliveries within 100 feet of a T-3 residential zone are barred 11:00 p.m.–7:00 a.m. on weekdays and 8:00 p.m.–8:00 a.m. on weekends, with named districts exempt.

Decibel limits

Mostly no. The general standard is audibility: under Sec. 36-4(a), radios, amplified music, bands and similar sound that is plainly audible at a distance of 100 feet from the building, vehicle or premises is prima facie evidence of a violation, and Sec. 36-1 and 36-3 ban loud, unnecessary, excessive or unusual noise and loud or boisterous noise generally. Numeric limits apply only to mechanical and fire equipment (air conditioning compressors, pumps, blowers, exhaust fans and the like) measured at the receiving property line, Sec. 36-8: single-family 55 dBA at night (10 p.m.–7 a.m.) and 60 dBA by day, or 5 and 10 dBA above ambient; multifamily, institutional, parks and noise-sensitive zones 60 / 65 dBA; retail commercial 65 / 65 dBA; wholesale commercial and industrial 70 / 75 dBA. Two entertainment districts (Wynwood NRD-1 and Overtown) have separate pilot decibel rules of 80 dB(A) measured more than 25 feet beyond the property line, 65 dB(A) indoors with openings closed, and a 68 dB(C) bass limit, each written with a sunset date and extendable by resolution; check the current status before relying on them.

What the ordinance actually says

Sec. 36-1: "It shall be unlawful to make any loud, unnecessary, excessive or unusual noise in the city."

Sec. 36-4(a): music or sound-device noise "plainly audible at a distance of 100 feet from the building, structure, vehicle or premises in which or from which it is produced" — and "The fact that the noise or music is plainly audible at a distance of 100 feet from the vehicle or premises from which it originates constitutes prima facie evidence of a violation of this chapter."

Sec. 36-5(a): business establishments may not operate music devices "between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day, unless such music boxes, jukeboxes, radios, musical instruments and other devices are played or operated in a closed building and the sound is not audible from outside the building so as to disturb the quiet, comfort or repose of persons in any dwelling, hotel or other type of residence."

Sec. 36-8 table, single-family receiving land use: "5 dBA above ambient or maximum of 55 dBA" between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.; "10 dBA above ambient or maximum of 60 dBA" between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Code of the City of Miami, Florida, Chapter 36 "Noise," Sections 36-1 through 36-9 (Code 1980, § 36-1 et seq.; amended through Ord. No. 14401, 10-9-25; Supp. No. 23, codified through Ord. No. 14450, enacted 3-12-26)). Verified against the live code on 2026-09-03. 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 Miami

Call 311 (305-468-5900) or the City of Miami Code Compliance Department at (305) 416-2087, Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., or email codecompliance@miamigov.com (miami.gov, "Report a Code Violation" and "Code Compliance").

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Miami. For the general playbook — documenting the problem, talking to a landlord or HOA, when 311 beats 911 — see the noise complaints guide.

Worth knowing

City-sponsored activities and events on city-owned property are exempt from the sound-device rules (Sec. 36-4(c)), though tenants of city property must seek a waiver. Unnecessary noise within 100 feet of a hospital or a school in session is separately unlawful (Sec. 36-2). A second conviction under the business-hours rule lets the city manager revoke the business tax receipt (Sec. 36-5(a)). Businesses in the Downtown Development Authority, Omni, Coconut Grove BID and Wynwood NRD areas, or on or above the fifth floor, are carved out of the 10 p.m.–8 a.m. outdoor-music ban (Sec. 36-4(d)). The Miami Riverside Specialty District uses its own 8:00 p.m.–11:00 a.m. window with a 100-foot audibility test (Sec. 36-5(f)). Construction noise waivers are issued under Sec. 36-6(c) only to eliminate a dangerous or hazardous condition.

Document it before you report it

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