Noise ordinances › Rochester, NY

Rochester noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: October 21, 2026

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Quiet hours in Rochester

There is no single curfew; the clock is built into the audibility tests. Between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., noise from any source, including voices, that is audible beyond the property line of the premises it comes from is prima facie evidence of excessive noise; between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. the test is audibility 50 feet beyond the property line; noise from a public street, park or other public place is judged at 50 feet from the source at any hour (§ 75-4 A(1)-(3)). Radios, televisions, stereos, instruments and other sound devices follow the same 10:00 p.m.-8:00 a.m. property-line and 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. 50-foot rule, plus 50 feet from the device when it is played from a motor vehicle on a public street or operated in a public park or other public place (§ 75-12 A(3)-(4)). Construction that creates excessive noise at the property limits of the construction site is barred between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on any day of the week, with no separate weekend or holiday hours; the Commissioner of Neighborhood and Business Development may grant a variance on written application, and emergency work may run up to 72 hours while a variance is sought (§ 75-10). Lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, leaf blowers, chain saws and similar yard equipment are exempt from § 75-4 only between 8:00 a.m. and sunset (§ 75-4 B(5)). Ice cream truck bells may not be used between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. (§ 75-5). A dog that howls or barks continually and audibly beyond the property line violates § 31-5 after more than five minutes between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., or more than 15 minutes between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.

Decibel limits

Mostly no. Chapter 75 defines the A scale and the decibel (reference pressure 0.0002 microbar) in § 75-3, but the general rule is not a meter test: § 75-4 forbids "excessive noise," defined as "Any sound which endangers or injures the safety or health of humans or animals or annoys or disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivity or endangers or injures personal or real property" (§ 75-3), and audibility at the stated distances is prima facie evidence of it (§§ 75-4 A, 75-12 A). The one numeric limit is for motor vehicles: no person may operate a motor vehicle so that the sound level exceeds 80 dB(A) at a distance of 25 feet or more from the vehicle's path on a public street, sidewalk, park or other public place, or at or beyond the property line on private property; the limit covers vehicles whether or not licensed or registered ("motor vehicle" includes motorcycles, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, go-carts, minibikes and trail bikes, § 75-3) but does not apply to vehicles on a public street to which § 386 of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law applies (§ 75-9). No measurement procedure is written into the chapter: § 75-20 B directs the Chief of Police to develop and promulgate measurement standards, testing methods and procedures (the former definition of "sound level meter" was repealed in 1983, § 75-3 editor's note). Other sound rules are by ear or by distance: ice cream truck bells may not be heard more than 400 feet away (§ 75-5) and sound devices on buses and other public conveyances other than taxicabs may not be audible to another person (§ 75-6).

What the ordinance actually says

§ 75-4 A: "No person shall make, continue, cause, or suffer or permit to be made or continued, and the owner and the person in control of a motor vehicle and the person in control of a premises shall not suffer nor permit to be made or continued, any excessive noise. It shall be prima facie evidence of a violation of this section if noise emanating from any source, including, but not limited to, voices or other sounds caused or emitted by humans, is: (1) Audible beyond the property line of the premises from which it emanates between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. (2) Audible at a distance of 50 feet beyond the property line of the premises from which it emanates between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m."

§ 75-12 A: "No person shall use or operate or suffer or permit to be used or operated, and the owner and the person in control of a motor vehicle and the person in control of a premises shall not suffer nor permit to be used or operated, any radio, television, stereo, compact disc player, musical instrument or other machine or device for the producing, reproducing or amplification of sound with louder volume than is necessary for convenient hearing for the person or persons who are voluntary listeners thereto. ... (3) Audible at a distance of 50 feet from such machine or device if operated from within a motor vehicle on a public street."

§ 75-9 A(1): "No person shall operate or cause to be operated any motor vehicle in such a manner that the sound level emitted therefrom exceeds 80 dB(A) either: (a) At a distance of 25 feet or more from the path of the vehicle when operated on a public street or sidewalk or in a public park or other public place; or (b) At or beyond the property line when operated on private property."

§ 75-10 A: "No person shall engage in or permit any person to be engaged in construction activities which create excessive noise at the property limits of the construction site between the hours of 10:00 p.m. of one day and 7:00 a.m. of the following day on any day of the week, except as is permitted in Subsections B and C hereof."

§ 75-21: "Any person who observes or has knowledge of a violation of this chapter may file a signed deposition, under oath, with a police officer, specifying the objectionable conduct, the date thereof, and the name and address, if known, of the alleged violator. A police officer shall investigate each complaint and, if the complaint is supported by probable cause, issue a notice of violation therefor."

§ 31-5 A(1): "It shall constitute a violation of this section if the howling or barking occurs continually and is audible beyond the property line of the premises on which the dog is located: (a) For more than five minutes between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.; (b) For more than 15 minutes between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.; or (c) For a shorter duration than cited above, but on more than five occasions within a given ten-day period if attested to by complainants from two or more separate properties."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Code of the City of Rochester, New York, Part II General Ordinances, Chapter 75 "Noise" (adopted 10-23-1973 by Ord. No. 73-564, which repealed the former Chapter 75 of 1941; amendments noted in the text, most recently Ord. No. 2009-179): § 75-1 Legislative determination, § 75-2 Legislative intent, § 75-3 Definitions, § 75-4 Excessive noise prohibited (amended 9-6-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-278), § 75-5 Sound reproduction devices for commercial or advertising purposes, § 75-6 Sound reproduction devices on public conveyances, § 75-7 Use of signaling devices, § 75-8 Emergency signal devices, § 75-9 Motor vehicles, § 75-10 Construction activities, § 75-11 Noise-sensitive zones, § 75-12 Sound reproduction devices used for miscellaneous purposes, § 75-13 Loading and unloading of boxes and containers, § 75-14 Animals, § 75-15 Noise abatement compliance with City contractors, § 75-16 Penalties for offenses, § 75-17 Provisions to be cumulative, § 75-18 Inconsistent provisions, § 75-19 Severability, § 75-20 Administration and enforcement, § 75-21 Filing of depositions by citizens. Related: Chapter 31 "Animals — Dog Control," § 31-5 Howling or barking dogs (amended 8-11-1998 by Ord. No. 98-341) and § 31-17 Penalties for offenses; Chapter 27 "Alarm Systems and Businesses," § 27-9 Local alarms; penalty; Chapter 13A "Municipal Code Violations Bureau," § 13A-11 Penalties for offenses, Subsection H (added 6-22-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-173; amended 6-21-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-230).). Verified against the live code on 2026-10-21. 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 Rochester

The noise chapter is administered and enforced by the Chief of Police and the Neighborhood Service Centers Administrators (§ 75-20 A), and the City's "Enforcement responsibilities for the municipal code" page assigns Noise to the Police Department. The Rochester Police Department's contact directory lists, for non-emergencies, "Call: 311" and "Outside the City of Rochester: Call 585-428-5990", and for emergencies "Call or text: 911" (outside the city 585-428-6666). The City's 311 page says to dial 311 or 585-428-5990 (the latter when calling from outside the city limits), that the line is open Monday–Friday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed for major holidays, and that the 311 Live Portal takes requests and reports 24/7; it reserves 911 for emergencies such as crimes in progress. The Rochester/Monroe County 911 center's page lists "Barking or annoying dogs" among the non-emergency calls the 911 center takes, says City residents may call 311 for those non-emergencies, and adds that a caller who is not sure which number to call should call 911 and will be referred. Under § 75-21 anyone who observes or knows of a violation may file a signed deposition, under oath, with a police officer, giving the conduct, the date and the alleged violator's name and address if known; an officer must investigate and, if the complaint is supported by probable cause, issue a notice of violation. For barking dogs, Dog Control Officers may enter the yard and seize a dog when the owner cannot be reached or will not stop the barking (§ 31-5 B). Sources: https://www.cityofrochester.gov/departments/rochester-police-department/rpd-contact-information, https://www.cityofrochester.gov/departments/emergency-communications-department/311-click-or-call-connect, https://www.cityofrochester.gov/departments/emergency-communications-department/non-emergency-calls-911 and https://www.cityofrochester.gov/departments/department-environmental-services/enforcement-responsibilities-municipal-code.

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

Worth knowing

Notable quirks: (1) Audibility is evidence, not the offense: the offense is "excessive noise" judged by a reasonable person of normal sensitivity (§ 75-3), and sound heard past the property line at night or 50 feet past it by day is prima facie evidence of it (§§ 75-4 A, 75-12 A); voices count expressly (§ 75-4 A). (2) The night window runs to 8:00 a.m., an hour later than most cities, while the construction window ends at 7:00 a.m. and has no weekend or holiday variation (§§ 75-4 A, 75-10 A). (3) § 75-4 does not apply to sources regulated by §§ 75-7 to 75-10, 75-12, 75-13 and 75-15 or by §§ 27-9A (local alarms) and 31-5 (barking dogs), to festivals, parades, block parties and other special events with a permit from the Office of Special Events, to political or religious activities and organs, bells and chimes at any church, synagogue, temple, mosque or other house of worship, to permitted athletic or recreational events, to yard-care equipment between 8:00 a.m. and sunset, or to air conditioners, snowblowers and snowplows, emergency generators and manufacturing operations (§ 75-4 B); § 75-12 B exempts funeral processions, church use, music in authorized parades, permitted festivals and performances, and amplification for religious or political activity or permitted athletic events. (4) A motor vehicle used in a violation of § 75-4, § 75-9 or § 75-12 is towed under § 111-75 (§§ 75-4 C, 75-9 C, 75-12 C), and the owner and the person in control of a motor vehicle, and the person in control of a premises, may not suffer or permit the noise either (§§ 75-4 A, 75-12 A). (5) Ice cream trucks may carry a bell no more than three inches in diameter, or a set of up to four, that cannot be heard more than 400 feet away and is silent from 9:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. (§ 75-5); otherwise, sound devices used for commercial or advertising purposes are banned wherever their sound may be heard on a public street, park or place (§ 75-5). (6) Horns may sound only as a danger warning (§ 75-7), emergency signal devices such as sirens and air horns may be used only by an emergency vehicle responding to an emergency, as a warning of an emergency, or to reasonably test the device (§ 75-8), and noise near a school, church or court in use, or near a hospital, nursing home or home for the aged, is barred when it unreasonably interferes with them or disturbs patients (§ 75-11). (7) Construction variances come from the Commissioner of Neighborhood and Business Development on written application, and emergency work may proceed for 72 hours, beyond which it needs at least verbal approval confirmed in writing within four hours of the start of the next business day (§ 75-10 B-C). (8) Barking dogs: besides the five- and 15-minute rules, shorter barking on more than five occasions within ten days violates § 31-5 if complainants from two or more separate properties attest to it; provocation, or work as a guide, hearing, service or police dog, is a defense (§ 31-5 A). (9) Local alarms must silence themselves within 15 minutes, and police or fire officials may disable one that does not (§ 27-9). (10) Penalties: § 75-16 applies the penalties of § 13A-11 (Municipal Code Violations Bureau), and § 13A-11 H sets $200 for a first offense, $400 for a second and $600 for a third or later, doubling to $400, $800 and $1,200 upon default; the dog chapter's "All other violations" schedule is $100, $200 and $300 ($200, $400 and $600 upon default) (§ 31-17 A(3)). (11) Excessive noise from loading or unloading a vehicle, or from opening, unloading or destroying bales, boxes, crates and containers, is barred at any hour (§ 75-13), and so is keeping any animal or bird that makes excessive noise (§ 75-14). (12) Where Chapter 75 conflicts with any other provision of the Municipal Code, Chapter 75 controls (§ 75-18).

Document it before you report it

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