Noise ordinances › Plano, TX

Plano noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: October 1, 2026

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Quiet hours in Plano

Day is 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and night is 10:01 p.m. to 6:59 a.m., every day of the week (14-85); at night the presumptive limit in Table 1 drops 10 dB (residential 65 to 55) and the background margin shrinks from 10 dB to 5 dB (14-87). Construction on private property within 500 feet of a residential area or a residential use during nighttime hours (10:01 p.m. to 6:59 a.m.) is an offense of its own (14-86(c)), with defenses for night work approved in writing by the building official for urgent necessity or public health, safety or welfare (14-89(a)(12)), and for construction-related activity approved by the city or a state or federal authority or needed for an emergency (14-89(a)(9)). By day, reasonably necessary construction and landscaping and lawn care conducted from 7:00 a.m. through 10:00 p.m. have a defense if the noise does not exceed 85 dBA (14-89(a)(3)). Other clocks in the defenses (14-89): reasonable activity in public parks, playgrounds and school grounds, 7:00 a.m. through 10:00 p.m.; waste and recycling collection in or within 300 feet of residential zoning, 7:00 a.m. through 10:00 p.m.; food-service deliveries between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. only if they last no more than one hour, carry only food, non-alcoholic beverages, food service supplies and ice, and stay at or under 65 dBA at the nearest residential property; restaurant amplified sound not after 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday or 11:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday; religious observances, no more than five minutes' duration in any one-hour period. Permitted entertainment venues in commercial/mixed-use or industrial districts may use the daytime levels from 10:00 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and the night before New Year's Day (14-91.1).

Decibel limits

Yes, as a presumption. Under 14-87(a)(1) a noise "is presumed to be unreasonable and declared to be a noise nuisance" if it results in a specific noise level above Table 1 for the noise-receiving district: Residential 65 dB by day / 55 dB at night; Commercial/Mixed Use 70 / 60; Industrial (Light Industrial-1 and Light Industrial-2) 75 / 65; each cell is that figure or 10 dB (day) / 5 dB (night) above the background noise level, "whichever is lower," and where the background already exceeds the figure, the background level becomes the maximum. Noise level is the A-weighted sound pressure level in dBA (14-85). Table notes: 5 dB is subtracted where the level includes impulsive noise (pulses or transients changing faster than 10 dB per second); the most restrictive limit applies at the property where the noise is audible; noise may be measured where it is audible or where the alleged nuisance is received, and the location may be adjusted for line-of-sight or elevation. A specific noise is one clearly distinguishable from background noise by ear or with an instrument (14-85). Presumptions that need no meter (14-87(a)(2)–(6)): produced or amplified sound broadcast into a public place or onto a public street or highway for commercial advertising or to draw public attention to a building, structure, person or event; "the production or amplified reproduction of the human voice" that is plainly audible on private property or for 50 feet or more onto public property; noise made in a public place or on a public street or highway next to a school, institution of learning, religious facility, court in use or hospital, where a sign is posted, that is reasonably likely to interfere with its workings or disturb a patient; a motor vehicle without a working muffler; and frequent or habitual animal noise disturbing to a reasonable person. Caps written into the defenses (14-89): construction and lawn care 85 dBA by day; HVAC, refrigeration, generators and pool equipment 65 dBA on residential property and 75 dBA on commercial/mixed-use or industrial property; late food deliveries 65 dBA at the nearest home; restaurants 70 dBA or 75 dBC at the property perimeter. An entertainment venue needs a permit, decided by the city council, to exceed Table 1 (14-91). The offenses themselves turn on reasonableness: intentionally, knowingly or recklessly making "an unreasonable noise" in a public place (other than a sport shooting range) or on private property one has no right to occupy, or making or allowing a "noise nuisance" on property one owns or controls (14-86), a noise nuisance being noise "likely to cause unreasonable discomfort or distress to a reasonable person or to unreasonably interfere with the use or enjoyment of property" (14-85). Vibration perceptible without an instrument on any affected property is presumed unreasonable (14-88).

What the ordinance actually says

Sec. 14-86(a): "It shall be an offense for any person to intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly make or cause to be made an unreasonable noise: (1) In a public place, other than a sport shooting range; or (2) On private property that the person has no right to occupy."

Sec. 14-86(b): "It shall be an offense for a person to intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly make, cause to be made, or allow a noise nuisance on property owned by him or subject to his care, custody or control."

Sec. 14-85: "Noise nuisance shall mean any specific noise that is likely to cause unreasonable discomfort or distress to a reasonable person or to unreasonably interfere with the use or enjoyment of property."

Sec. 14-87(a)(1), Table 1, Residential row, Day and Night columns: "65 dB or 10 dB above the background noise level, whichever is lower" / "55 dB or 5 dB above the background noise level, whichever is lower"

Sec. 14-87(a)(1), note to Table 1: "If the background noise level exceeds the maximum permitted noise level indicated above, the background noise level shall be the maximum noise level."

Sec. 14-87(a)(1), note to Table 1: "Noise may be measured where the noise is audible or where the alleged nuisance is received. Measurement location may be adjusted where line-of-site or elevation may pose a challenge in determining whether a nuisance exists."

Sec. 14-86(c): "It shall be an offense for a person to intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly conduct construction on private property within five hundred (500) feet of a residential area or a residential use during nighttime hours (10:01 p.m. to 6:59 a.m.)."

Sec. 14-87(a)(3): "General amplification of sound. The noise is from the production or amplified reproduction of the human voice, and the sound is plainly audible on private property or for fifty (50) feet or more onto public property."

Sec. 14-89(a)(3): "The noise or vibration is produced by reasonably necessary construction or landscaping and lawn care-related activities on real or personal property, conducted at any point from 7:00 a.m. through 10:00 p.m., and the activity is in compliance with all other State and Federal laws and the City of Plano Code of Ordinances, and the noise does not directly or indirectly result in a specific noise level exceeding 85 dBA."

Sec. 14-91.8(a): "It shall be an offense to fail to comply with any provision of this article, and, upon conviction thereof, a person shall be punished by a fine in an amount not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00). Each day a violation occurs shall constitute a separate offense."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (City of Plano Code of Ordinances, Chapter 14 "Offenses—Miscellaneous," Article V "Noise" (enacted in full by Ord. No. 2025-8-3, § I, adopted August 11, 2025, which repealed the former Article V, §§ 14-85—14-91.8, derived from Ord. No. 2023-6-3 and Ord. No. 2023-9-18): Division 1 "Generally" — 14-85 definitions, 14-86 offenses, 14-87 presumptions (Table 1, "Maximum Specific Noise Levels"), 14-88 vibration, 14-89 defenses, 14-90 applicability; Division 2 "Entertainment Venue Permits" — 14-91 general, 14-91.1 decibel limits for entertainment venues, 14-91.2 permit application, 14-91.3 sound impact plan, 14-91.4 notice of application, 14-91.5 decision on application and renewal, 14-91.6 revocation; Division 3 "Enforcement" — 14-91.7 enforcement, 14-91.8 penalties. Text read on Municode (the City's code host; version of July 9, 2026) on 2026-10-01.). Verified against the live code on 2026-10-01. 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 Plano

Per plano.gov, "Important Phone Numbers" (Plano Police Department telephone numbers): Non-Emergency 972-424-5678; Emergency 9-1-1. For animal noise, plano.gov's "Nuisance Noise Complaints" page (Animal Services) sets out the process: the first and second complaints need no noise log, and the owner is contacted by an Animal Services Officer by mail or in person after the first and in person after the second; for the third and later complaints the complainant must submit a notarized complaint affidavit and noise log to the Animal Shelter, which is evaluated and sent to a Municipal Court Prosecutor if evidence of a violation exists; the complainant must also complete a Noise Complaint Form, complaints "cannot be made anonymously," and the witness must be prepared to testify; "Plano Police Department will respond to any after-hours nuisance noise issues on a low-priority basis." Article V is enforced by the city manager or a designee (14-91.7). Penalties (14-91.8): a fine of up to $500, each day a separate offense; with one prior conviction under the article the fine is $300 to $500, with two prior convictions $400 to $500, the repeat minimums applying where the new offense comes within three years of the most recent preceding one; the city may also pursue nuisance abatement, injunctive relief, administrative adjudication and revocation of licenses or permits.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Plano. 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 whole article is new: Ord. No. 2025-8-3 (August 11, 2025) repealed and re-enacted Article V, replacing the 2023 version, so summaries written before then describe repealed text. (2) The table is a presumption, not the offense: the offenses in 14-86 require acting intentionally, knowingly or recklessly, and a reading above Table 1 creates a presumption that the noise is unreasonable and a noise nuisance. (3) The limit floats with the neighborhood: each cell is the stated figure or 10 dB (day) / 5 dB (night) above background, whichever is lower, so in a quiet neighborhood the effective limit can sit below 65 / 55 dB; where background is louder than the figure, background becomes the limit. (4) Measurement is not tied to the property line; it may be taken where the noise is audible or where it is received, and moved for line-of-sight or elevation problems (the code says "line-of-site"). (5) Night construction within 500 feet of a residential area or residential use is a stand-alone offense, but by day construction and lawn care have a defense up to 85 dBA, 20 dB above the residential daytime figure (14-86(c), 14-89(a)(3)). (6) The 50-foot presumption is written for "the production or amplified reproduction of the human voice" (14-87(a)(3)); Article V has no distance rule written for car stereos as such, and "the lawful operation of a motor vehicle under the Texas Transportation Code" is a defense (14-89(a)(7)), leaving vehicles to the muffler presumption and the general standards. (7) First-in-time protection: the restaurant defense (amplified sound off by 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, under 70 dBA or 75 dBC at the perimeter) does not apply to a restaurant within 300 feet of a residence that was occupied before the restaurant (14-89(a)(14)). (8) Entertainment venues need a city council-approved permit to exceed Table 1: a sound impact plan by an acoustical professional, mailed notice to owners within 500 feet and known homeowner associations within 1,500 feet, no permits in or within 100 feet of residential districts, a three-year term extendable to five for a clean record, and possible revocation after two or more noise-related violations or permit-condition violations within 24 months (14-91 to 14-91.6). The notice section ties its deadline to the planning and zoning commission meeting "under section 14-96," but section 14-96 in the current Chapter 14 is "Residential subdivisions; compliance," an unrelated section in a different article. (9) A certificate of occupancy or other city permit is not a defense unless the article says so (14-86(d)). (10) Religious observances get five minutes of sound per hour (14-89(a)(5)), and late-night food deliveries one hour, food and supplies only, at 65 dBA (14-89(a)(13)). (11) The criminal penalty is a fine, capped at $500, with minimums of $300 and $400 for repeat offenders within three years; the city may also pursue abatement, injunctive relief, administrative adjudication and license or permit revocation (14-91.8). (12) Barking-dog cases run through Animal Services, and from the third complaint on require a notarized affidavit and a noise log; complaints cannot be anonymous.

Document it before you report it

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