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Noise ordinances › New Orleans, LA
New Orleans noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints
New Orleans, LA regulates noise under Code of the City of New Orleans. Quiet hours: Night 10 p.m. – 7 a.m. (8 a.m. weekends); neighbour music cut-off 9 p.m. Sun–Thu (Sec. 66-203). Table 1 limits by land use: residential 60 dBA L10 / 70 max by day, 55 / 60 at night, at the property line (Sec. 66-202). Below: the exact code language, who actually takes complaints, and a link to the official text.
Last updated:
| Quiet hours | Night 10 p.m. – 7 a.m. (8 a.m. weekends); neighbour music cut-off 9 p.m. Sun–Thu (Sec. 66-203) |
|---|---|
| Limit type | Numeric decibel limits (sound-level meter standard) |
| Headline limit | Table 1 limits by land use: residential 60 dBA L10 / 70 max by day, 55 / 60 at night, at the property line (Sec. 66-202) |
| Official code | Code of the City of New Orleans |
Quiet hours in New Orleans
Sec. 66-136 defines nighttime hours as 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. on weekends, when the lower Table 1 limits apply. Sec. 66-203(3)(d)–(e): between 9:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10:00 a.m. the next morning, and between 10:30 p.m. Friday or Saturday and 10:00 a.m., no radio, television, loudspeaker or amplifier may be plainly audible at one foot from a neighbouring dwelling's exterior wall or beyond the lot boundary, whichever is nearer, and in apartment buildings not plainly audible in any other unit. Sec. 66-203(6): outdoor power equipment in residential zones is banned 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. weekdays and 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. weekends. Sec. 66-138(7): construction and demolition in or within 300 feet of RS, RD or RM residential districts may not begin before 7:00 a.m. or continue after 6:00 p.m.; elsewhere permitted work is exempt from Table 1 between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. Sec. 66-205: no musical instruments on public rights-of-way 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. without a permit. Sec. 66-207(b): no refuse collection 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. in residential areas.
Decibel limits
Yes, throughout. Sec. 66-202 Table 1 sets limits by the receiving land use, as an L10 (level exceeded 10 percent of a ten-minute measurement) and a maximum: residential and public space 60 dBA L10 / 70 dBA max from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and 55 / 60 dBA at night; inside a two-family or multi-family building 50 / 60 dBA by day and 45 / 55 dBA at night, measured in the adjacent unit; business and commercial 65 / 75 dBA day and 60 / 65 dBA night; industrial 75 / 85 dBA at all times; the Vieux Carré entertainment district 10 decibels above ambient or 60 decibels, whichever is higher, at all times, with separate figures for the Vieux Carré residential and commercial and Marigny districts. Sec. 66-203(3)(a): sound devices in public rights-of-way, parks and playgrounds may not exceed an average of 80 decibels at 50 feet. Sec. 66-203(6)(b): daytime power equipment is limited to 75 dBA (5 hp or less) or 82 dBA at 50 feet. Sec. 66-206 sets vehicle limits of 76 to 90 dBA at 50 feet by class. Sec. 66-208: 78 decibels at 50 feet in the St. Louis Cathedral buffer zone during services. Measurements use a Type 2 or better A-weighted meter (Sec. 66-201).
What the ordinance actually says
Sec. 66-136: "Nighttime hours means 10:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. weekdays, 10:00 p.m. until 8:00 a.m. weekends, unless otherwise stated in this article."
Sec. 66-202(a): "No person shall operate or cause to be operated any source of sound in such a manner as to create a sound level which exceeds the limits set forth for the receiving land use category in table 1." Table 1, resident and public space: 7:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m. L10 60 dBA, Lmax 70 dBA; 10:00 p.m.–7:00 a.m. L10 55 dBA, Lmax 60 dBA.
Sec. 66-203(3)(d): "It shall be unlawful between the hours of 9:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10:00 a.m. on the subsequent morning or between the hours of 10:30 p.m. on a Friday or Saturday and 10:00 a.m. the subsequent morning to operate or play ... any radio, television, phonograph, loudspeaker, sound-amplification equipment or similar device which produces or reproduces sound in such a manner as to be plainly audible at a distance of one foot from any exterior wall of the neighboring dwelling or at a distance beyond the boundary between the parcels or lots, whichever is the lesser distance"
Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Code of the City of New Orleans, Louisiana, Chapter 66 (Environment), Article IV "Noise," Sections 66-136 through 66-209 (Code 1956, § 42A-1 et seq.; M.C.S., Ord. No. 18,399, 9-4-97; Ord. No. 18,625, 2-19-98; Ord. No. 18,857, 9-3-98; Ord. No. 24834, 4-5-12)). 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 New Orleans
NOLA 311 (dial 3-1-1, text 311, or the MyNOLA portal at nola.gov/311) for non-emergency service requests; noise in progress goes to the New Orleans Police Department non-emergency line, (504) 658-6800. The ordinance is administered jointly by the Department of Health and the police (Sec. 66-137). Short-term rental noise has a 24-hour hotline, (504) 788-2008, and property code complaints go to Code Enforcement at (504) 658-5050.
Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in New Orleans. For the general playbook — documenting the problem, talking to a landlord or HOA, when 311 beats 911 — see the noise complaints guide.
Worth knowing
Jazz funerals, city-permitted parades and concerts, non-amplified church bells, street cars and outdoor evangelism are exempt (Secs. 66-138, 66-139). The French Quarter entertainment district is measured against ambient plus 10 dB rather than a fixed number, and bars there must keep loudspeakers inside, pointed away from openings, and at least 10 feet from any door or window unless the openings stay shut (Sec. 66-209). A $20 temporary permit can authorise short-duration noise for up to four occasions in six weeks (Sec. 66-176), and a variance is available where compliance would be an unreasonable taking (Sec. 66-177). Neighbourhood businesses in B-1 and B-2 zones get six months to insulate after a first violation (Sec. 66-203(4)). Animal noise carries its own fine ladder and mandatory obedience classes (Sec. 66-204). Each day of violation is a separate misdemeanour, up to 90 days in jail (Sec. 66-140).
Document it before you report it
New Orleans'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 New Orleans noise map. For time-stamped measurement history you can show a landlord or code officer, the app keeps a log.