Noise ordinances › Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: September 20, 2026

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Quiet hours in Minneapolis

Three different clocks. (1) The state limits the ordinance adopts (Sec. 389.15, 389.60(b)) switch at 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.: Minnesota Rules 7030.0020 defines daytime as 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and nighttime as 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., and the indoor dB(C)-over-ambient test in Sec. 389.60(a) uses the same daytime/nighttime split (10 dB(C) by day, 5 dB(C) at night). (2) A "noisy or unruly assembly" exists only between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.: Sec. 389.30 defines it as a gathering of more than one person in a residentially zoned or used area in those hours whose noisy or illegal conduct would likely cause significant discomfort to a reasonable person, and Sec. 389.65(a)(1)–(2) make participating in, remaining at, or permitting one an offense, with a notice to the owner or landlord and administrative citations for a repeat within 180 days. (3) Outdoor implements (power mowers, snow blowers, hedge clippers, power saws, leaf blowers, trimmers) may run only 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Sec. 389.80; snow blowers at any time during a snow emergency or within 24 hours of a one-inch snowfall); solid-waste and recycling collection and parking-lot sweeping in residential areas only 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Sec. 389.65(a)(8)–(9)); outdoor amplified sound needs a daytime permit for 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and an extended-hours permit outside that window (Sec. 389.105(c)(1)), and no standard or small-event permit may run past 9:00 p.m. on Sundays within 500 feet of residential property or a place of worship (389.105(c)(12)). Construction equipment has no hours in Chapter 389: Sec. 389.70 (construction, demolition and commercial power maintenance equipment) was repealed in 2008, and Sec. 389.60(c)(4) exempts pile drivers, jackhammers, cranes, dump trucks, backhoes and bulldozers from the decibel limits. Vehicle noise limits in Article II apply at all hours, with Table B's heavy-vehicle limits dropping in the evening and at night, on holidays and Sundays.

Decibel limits

Yes, in several layers. Indoor, relative to ambient (Sec. 389.60(a)): sound measured inside the complainant's own unit with doors and windows closed, on the C-weighted scale, is a violation at 10 dB(C) Leq or more above the ambient in the daytime or 5 dB(C) Leq or more above ambient at night; where bass cannot be separated with the dB(C) reading and low-frequency tones are clearly audible, a 10 dB(C) increase over ambient in any one-third-octave band due to amplified music is a violation. Outdoor, absolute plus relative (Sec. 389.60(b)): any sound measured outside that exceeds the Minnesota Rules Chapter 7030 limits, provided it is also 5 dB(A) or more above ambient. Those state limits (7030.0040 subp. 2) are, for Noise Area Classification 1 (residential and similar), daytime L50 60 dB(A) and L10 65 dB(A), nighttime L50 50 dB(A) and L10 55 dB(A); NAC 2 (commercial) 65/70 day and night; NAC 3 (industrial) 75/80 day and night, where L10 and L50 are the levels exceeded 10 and 50 percent of a one-hour survey. Amplified sound (Sec. 389.65(a)(6)): any amplification device, inside or outside, measuring 5 dB(A) or more above ambient on an adjacent property or the public right-of-way, unless permitted. Permitted outdoor amplification (Sec. 389.105(c)): 90 dB(A) at 50 feet for standard and large block event permits (80 dB(A) for small events) and never more than 15 dB(A) (10 dB(A) small events) above ambient off the property; unpermitted amplified sound plainly audible at 100 feet from the property line is a violation, as is small-event sound at 300 feet and standard-event sound at 1,500 feet. Vehicles on trafficways (Article II): Table A light vehicles from 69 dB(A) at 25 feet on a 25 mph street to 83 dB(A) at 60 mph; Table B heavy vehicles 83 dB(A) at 20 feet daytime on streets posted 35 mph or less, 75 evening, 73 night, holiday and Sunday. Stadium concerts at University of Minnesota or Minnesota Ballpark Authority venues are exempt if within 7:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m. and no more than 15 dB(A) above ambient at the nearest residence (389.60(c)(5)); the Upper Harbor performing arts center gets 54 events a year at up to 98 dB(A) Leq at 134 feet (389.105(e)). Measurement procedures are written and approved by regulatory services and available on request (Sec. 389.45).

What the ordinance actually says

Sec. 389.60(a): "Activities generating sound that is ten (10) dB(C) Leq or more above the ambient noise level during the daytime or five (5) dB(C) Leq or more above the ambient noise level during the nighttime when measured within a building occupied by the complainant. All measurements pursuant to this subsection shall be made using the C-weighted network, and taken indoors with the doors and windows closed, and within the unit occupied by the complainant."

Sec. 389.60(b): "Any sound measured outside in excess of the limits as set forth in Minnesota Rules, Chapter 7030 provided that such sound is five (5) dB(A) or more above ambient noise levels."

Sec. 389.30 (Definitions): "Noisy or unruly assembly: For the purposes of sections 389.65(a)(1) and 389.65(a)(2), the term \"noisy or unruly assembly\" shall mean a gathering of more than one person in a residentially zoned or used area or building between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. whose noisy or illegal conduct would be likely to cause significant discomfort or annoyance to a reasonable person of normal sensitivities present in the area considering the time of day and the residential character of the area."

Sec. 389.65(a)(5) (Amplified sound from vehicles): "Except as provided in section 389.105, the operation of any electronic device used for the amplification of music or other entertainment, which is located within a motor vehicle being operated on a public street or alley, or in commercial or residential parking facilities, which is audible by any person from a distance of fifty (50) feet or more from the vehicle. ... A first violation of this subsection is punishable by a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00), a second violation is punishable by a fine not to exceed seven hundred dollars ($700.00), and a third violation is punishable by a fine to the maximum amount."

Sec. 389.65(a)(6) (Amplified sound): "The playing of any electronic device used for the amplification of sound (except as specifically permitted under section 389.105) located inside or outside, which measures five (5) dB(A) or more above ambient levels on adjacent properties, including the public right-of-way."

Sec. 389.80 (Outdoor implements): "Any outdoor implement such as a power lawn mower, snow blower, power hedge clipper, power saw, leaf blower, or trimmer shall be operated only between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. No leaf blowers shall be operated by any person without a muffler."

Sec. 389.60(c): "Sounds emanating from the operation of the following are exempt from the provisions of this section and section 389.65(a): (1) Motor vehicles on traffic ways of the city. (2) Aircraft in flight. (3) Outdoor implements, such as power lawn mowers, leaf blowers, snow blowers, power hedge clippers and power saws. (4) Pile drivers, jackhammers, cranes, scrapers, dump trucks, backhoes, bulldozers and other construction equipment."

Minnesota Rules 7030.0020, subp. 3 and subp. 10: "'Daytime' means those hours from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m." and "'Nighttime' means those hours from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Minneapolis Code of Ordinances, Title 15 "Offenses—Miscellaneous," Chapter 389 "Noise": Article I (Generally), Secs. 389.05 (declaration), 389.10 (findings), 389.15 (incorporation by reference of Minnesota Rules Chapter 7030 and the MPCA "A Guide to Noise Control in Minnesota"), 389.30 (definitions, including "noisy or unruly assembly," "points of habitation" and "residentially used area"), 389.40 (enforcement by the commissioner of health and chief of police), 389.45 (measurement procedures), 389.50 (noise prohibited), 389.60 (what constitutes violation; exemptions), 389.65 (prohibited acts: noisy assemblies, horns, unmaintained vehicles, amplified sound from vehicles, amplified sound, alarms, solid waste collection, sweeping and plowing, noise-control devices), 389.80 (outdoor implements), 389.105 (permits for sound amplifying equipment), 389.120 (penalties), 389.125 (nuisance), 389.130 (waiver); Article II (Vehicular Noise Control), Secs. 389.140–389.210 (Table A light-vehicle and Table B heavy-vehicle limits by posted speed and distance, mufflers, Industrial Living Overlay interior levels). Sec. 389.60 last amended by Ord. No. 2025-024 (5-15-25) and Sec. 389.105 by Ord. No. 2025-028 (7-10-25). State limits from Minnesota Rules 7030.0040 subp. 2 and definitions in 7030.0020 (revisor.mn.gov). Text read on Municode (the City's code host, version Sep 11, 2026) on 2026-09-20.). Verified against the live code on 2026-09-20. 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 Minneapolis

Per minneapolismn.gov, "Noise Complaint": contact Minneapolis 311 by phone (311 or 612-673-3000, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday–Friday), by email, or through the 311 mobile app at any hour; for a loud vehicle audio system, the page says "Call 911"; commercial garbage-hauler complaints go to Business Licenses & Consumer Services, 612-673-2080. The same page states the rules in plain terms: "Sound from motor vehicle sound systems or audio systems clearly audible from beyond 50 feet is illegal," power lawnmowers, trimmers, saws and leaf blowers are allowed "from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.," and "Outdoor amplified sound that can be heard above conversation from beyond 50 feet likely requires a sound permit." It advises: "Unless you're comfortable doing so, do not approach neighbors with your noise complaints." Under Sec. 389.40 the commissioner of health and the chief of police enforce the chapter; the Health Department handles meter measurements and sound permits, and the Police Department issues the noisy-or-unruly-assembly notices to owners and landlords (Sec. 389.65(a)(1)b).

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Minneapolis. 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) The indoor test is C-weighted and taken inside the complainant's home with the windows shut, which is unusual and aimed squarely at bass from amplified music; the one-third-octave fallback lets an inspector catch a subwoofer that a broadband reading would miss. (2) The outdoor numbers are not the City's own. Sec. 389.15 incorporates Minnesota Rules Chapter 7030, so the 60/65 and 50/55 dBA figures are statewide L50/L10 standards, and Sec. 389.60(b) adds a second condition: the sound must also be 5 dBA above ambient, so a source on an already-loud corridor can exceed the state table without violating the ordinance. (3) Construction is exempt from the decibel limits (389.60(c)(4)) and its hours section was repealed in 2008, so Chapter 389 gives no construction start time; other titles and permit conditions govern that, and this row does not summarize them. (4) The party rule reaches guests: Sec. 389.65(a)(1) makes "visiting, or remaining at" a noisy or unruly assembly an offense for anyone who knows or should know, with an exception only for people who came to abate it, and a repeat within 180 days brings the owner or landlord an administrative citation (with a 21-day grace period after the notice and special rules for duplexes and multi-unit buildings). (5) Car stereos have a fixed fine ladder ($500, $700, then the maximum) and a 50-foot audibility test that the City's complaint page repeats; the driver, the owner if present, and anyone assisting are each liable. (6) The vehicle tables in Article II scale with posted speed limit and measurement distance, and heavy vehicles have separate evening and night, holiday and Sunday limits. (7) Religious sound gets its own carve-outs: bells, chimes and worship amplification are exempt up to six minutes an hour and sixty minutes a day (389.60(c)(9)), and Secs. 389.60(d) and 389.65(b) bar any restriction that substantially burdens religious exercise unless it passes a compelling-interest test; Sec. 389.130 offers a formal waiver hearing on constitutional grounds. (8) Bullhorns of 10 watts or less need no permit between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. (389.105(c)(10)). (9) Penalties stack: criminal under Sec. 1.30, administrative citations under Chapter 2, injunctions, and license consequences (389.120), and every violation is declared a public nuisance (389.125).

Document it before you report it

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