Noise ordinances › Tallahassee, FL

Tallahassee noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: October 30, 2026

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Quiet hours in Tallahassee

Tallahassee has no citywide quiet hours. Outside the Urban Core, a noise disturbance is prohibited at any time (12-94(a)). Inside the Urban Core, the same test applies only from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. (12-94(b)). An establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, on property zoned Central Core within the Urban Core, may not produce outdoor amplified sound plainly audible 200 feet from the establishment from 11 p.m. on Sunday to Thursday nights, and from midnight on Friday and Saturday nights, until 7 a.m. the following morning; outdoor means the exterior of the establishment, including courtyards, patios, porches, sidewalks, driveways and any other outdoor space (12-94(c)). Exempt windows (12-95): lawn mowers and yard maintenance equipment from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with all of the manufacturer's standard mufflers and noise-reducing equipment in use and working (12-95(a)); construction from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, where building permits have been issued or none are needed because of the scope of work or government ownership of the project, with equipment run to the manufacturer's specifications and standard mufflers in use (12-95(b)); and a qualifying establishment outside the Urban Core with 25 or more years of continuous operation, whose exempt operations must fall between 7 a.m. and 2 a.m. (12-95(p)). Outside those windows, yard equipment and construction are not exempt and fall under the 12-94 test like any other sound. Sanitation operations are exempt at any hour (12-95(m)).

Decibel limits — or rather, the lack of them

No general decibel limit. Division 2 sets no decibel figure for ordinary noise. The test is a noise disturbance, "any sound which is unreasonably loud, raucous, or jarring to a reasonable person of normal sensitivities and which is plainly audible to a police officer or code enforcement officer" (12-93), and under 12-94(a) and (b) it must be plainly audible to an officer at 100 feet or greater. The Urban Core rule on outdoor amplified sound at Central Core alcohol sellers is simpler: it is broken when the sound is plainly audible 200 feet from the establishment, with no finding that it is unreasonably loud (12-94(c)). Plainly audible means detected by an officer using unaided hearing and measured as 12-94 provides (12-93), and that measurement is of distance, not level: from the property line when the person responsible for the sound is the owner or tenant of the property or that person's employee, agent, guest or invitee, or when the property is inaccessible to the officer, and from the source of the sound in all other cases (12-94(d)). The only decibel figures in the Division sit in an exemption: an establishment outside the Urban Core that has been in continuous operation for 25 years or more, is adjacent to residential properties and has an established use, as determined by the land use administrator, that produces sound beyond the 12-94 limits at neighboring properties, is exempt so long as its sound at its own property boundary does not exceed 60 dB(A) or 75 dB(C) and its operations fall between 7 a.m. and 2 a.m. (12-95(p)); the Division gives no meter procedure for those figures. Section 12-92 mentions sound provisions in sections 10-255, 10-256, 10-258, 10-260 and 10-266 of the Tallahassee Land Development Code, which were not part of the text read, and says property zoned C-1 Neighborhood Commercial, C-2 General Commercial, CP Commercial Parkway, M-1 Light Industrial District and NBO Neighborhood Boundary Office stays subject to Division 2 regardless.

What the ordinance actually says

§ 12-93: "Noise disturbance means any sound which is unreasonably loud, raucous, or jarring to a reasonable person of normal sensitivities and which is plainly audible to a police officer or code enforcement officer."

§ 12-93: "Plainly audible means sound which is detected by a police officer or code enforcement officer, using the officer's unaided hearing faculties, and measured as provided in section 12-94."

§ 12-94(a): "It shall be unlawful and a violation of this section to make, cause or allow the making of any sound that constitutes a noise disturbance outside the Urban Core at any time. Outside the Urban Core, a noise disturbance shall be such sound which is unreasonably loud, raucous or jarring to a reasonable person of normal sensitivities when plainly audible to an officer at 100 feet or greater."

§ 12-94(b): "It shall be unlawful and a violation of this section to make, cause or allow the making of any sound that constitutes a noise disturbance within the Urban Core between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m."

§ 12-94(c): "It shall be unlawful and a violation of this section for an establishment, which offers for sale alcoholic beverages, which is located on a property which is zoned Central Core and which is located within the Urban Core, to create, transmit or produce any outdoor amplified sound which is plainly audible 200 feet from the establishment, on Sunday to Thursday nights commencing at 11:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday nights commencing at midnight, until 7:00 a.m. the following morning."

§ 12-95: "The following shall be exempt from the sound level limits contained in section 12-94:" (c): "Nonamplified human voice."

§ 12-96(b)(2): "Following notice from the responding officer, the owner or person responsible for the sound shall have five minutes to voluntarily reduce the sound to comply with section 12-94. If the sound is reduced within the five-minute voluntary compliance period, no citation shall be issued under this section except as follows."

§ 12-96(d): "If two or more citations for violation of section 12-94 have been issued at a specific location within the prior six months, the property owner shall be presumed to be jointly and severally responsible for any subsequent violation."

§ 12-96(g): "A fine of $250.00 shall be imposed for a first violation; $350.00 for a second violation; and $500.00 for a third and any subsequent violation."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Tallahassee Code of Ordinances Chapter 12 Article IV Division 2 "Excessive Sound", Secs. 12-92 to 12-97 (Chapter 12 is "Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions" and Article IV is "Offenses Involving Public Peace and Order"): 12-92 Application, 12-93 Definitions, 12-94 Prohibitions, 12-95 Exemptions, 12-96 Enforcement, 12-97 Additional remedies; injunctions. History: Ord. No. 15-O-37AA, § 2, 1-27-2016 (all six sections); 12-93 amended by Ord. No. 22-O-13, § 1, 3-9-2022, and Ord. No. 23-O-19, § 1, 5-10-2023; 12-94 by Ord. No. 22-O-13, § 2, 3-9-2022, and Ord. No. 23-O-19, § 2, 5-10-2023, which changed its title from "Noise disturbance prohibited" to "Prohibitions"; 12-96 by Ord. No. 22-O-13, § 3, 3-9-2022, and Ord. No. 23-O-19, § 3, 5-10-2023. The editor's note to Division 1 says Ord. No. 15-O-37AA, adopted Jan. 1, 2016, designated § 12-91 as Article IV, Division 1 and added Division 2. Text read on Municode, the City's code host, Supplement 75, online content updated May 19, 2026, on 2026-10-30.). Verified against the live code on 2026-10-30. 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 Tallahassee

Call the Tallahassee Police Department, or 911 in an emergency: TPD's pages give 850-891-4200 for non-emergency incidents and, when you need an officer and it is not an emergency, its Communications Center at 850-606-5800. TPD's online FAQ gives 911 for emergencies and 850-891-4200 for non-emergency incidents, and the same number is in the contact block of TPD's main page. TPD's online crime reporting page tells people who need an officer to call its Communications Center at 850-606-5800 if it is not an emergency and 911 if it is. The City's Common Code Violations page lists the noise ordinance (Article IV, Division 2, 12-92 through 12-97) and says complaints may be submitted directly to the Police Department; for code violations in general, the same page says a violation can be reported to Code Enforcement at 850-891-7007 or through the DigiTally app. Under the code, any TPD officer or code enforcement officer may issue a citation (12-96(a)), but the sound must be plainly audible to the officer (12-93). After notice, the person responsible has five minutes to turn the sound down, and no citation follows if they do, unless an officer responded to the same person or property within the prior six months or the officer was refused access to the property (12-96(b)). Fines are $250 for a first violation, $350 for a second and $500 for a third and each later one, and sound that continues or recurs more than 15 minutes after notice is a separate violation (12-96(g)); a person cited may contest within 30 days before the City Code Magistrate or code enforcement board, or the Leon County Court, at the City's choice (12-96(f)), and the fine order may be recorded as a lien on the violator's property (12-96(h)). Sources: https://www.talgov.com/publicsafety/tpd-online-faq, https://www.talgov.com/publicsafety/tpd, https://www.talgov.com/publicsafety/tpd-onlinecrimereporting and https://www.talgov.com/publicsafety/code-violations.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Tallahassee. 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 officer has to hear it: a noise disturbance and plainly audible sound are both defined by what a police officer or code enforcement officer hears with unaided hearing (12-93), from 100 feet or more (12-94(a), (b)), so the sound has to be audible to the responding officer. (2) Two zones. The Urban Core is defined by a map in 12-93 ("as depicted on the map below"), which the code text read does not reproduce, so its boundaries are not described here. Inside it the general test runs only from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m., so from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Division 2 reaches only outdoor amplified sound at Central Core-zoned alcohol sellers, from 11 p.m. or midnight (12-94(b), (c)). (3) Voices are exempt: nonamplified human voice, and nonamplified sounds from lawful public assembly or public speaking, are outside the Division (12-95(c), (d)), so shouting or a loud crowd without speakers is not covered by it. (4) Other exemptions (12-95): authorized emergency vehicles responding to an emergency call or acting in an emergency; safety signals, warning devices and emergency pressure relief valves; electrical or mechanical equipment such as compressors, generators, reciprocating engines, air handlers and HVAC units on buildings or facilities leased, owned or operated by governmental entities, including the City, Leon County, the Leon County School District, the State of Florida, Florida State University, Florida A&M University and Tallahassee Community College; emergency generators during a loss of power for any cause other than non-payment of utility services; aircraft operated under federal law and air traffic control instruction; interstate motor and rail carriers to the extent federal law preempts local rules; motor vehicles to the extent regulated by F.S. § 316.293; organized sporting events, permitted fireworks displays, permitted parades, permitted events on public property and other activities specifically permitted by the City; sanitation operations, with no hours attached; and vehicles or equipment of those governmental entities or their designees in emergency or construction operations. (5) A grandfather clause: an establishment outside the Urban Core in continuous operation for 25 years or more, adjacent to residential properties, with an established use that the land use administrator determines produces sound beyond the 12-94 limits at neighboring properties, is exempt if its sound stays at or below 60 dB(A) or 75 dB(C) at its property boundary and it operates only between 7 a.m. and 2 a.m. (12-95(p)). (6) A warning first, usually: the officer must try to notify the owner or person responsible, who then has five minutes to comply (12-96(b)(1), (2)); there is no warning if an officer responded to the same person or property within the prior six months, whether or not a citation was issued then, or if the officer is refused access (12-96(b)(3), (4)). (7) Owners answer for tenants and guests: if the officer is refused access or cannot identify the person responsible, the property owner is presumed responsible and the owner on record with the Leon County Tax Collector may be cited, rebuttable by showing the owner was not the cause or source; after two or more citations at a location within six months, the owner is presumed jointly and severally responsible for any later violation and is cited, rebuttable by showing reasonable efforts to prevent violations (12-96(c), (d)). (8) Penalties grow: each time the sound continues or recurs after 15 minutes following notice, it is a separate violation (12-96(g)); citations are delivered by hand or by certified mail, return receipt requested (12-96(e)); fines can be recorded as liens (12-96(h)); and equipment, devices, vehicles or machinery operated in violation that endanger residents' comfort, repose, health and peace are a public nuisance the City may take to court for an injunction, without limiting any private right of action (12-97). (9) Wording: 12-95 exempts sources "from the sound level limits contained in section 12-94", but 12-94 sets distances, not sound levels; the only decibel figures in the Division are in the grandfather clause (12-95(p)). (10) Commercial zones: the Division applies to all property in the city unless a City Commission policy, ordinance or approved agreement sets sound rules for specifically described property, and property zoned C-1, C-2, CP, M-1 and NBO stays subject to it despite the sound provisions in Land Development Code sections 10-255, 10-256, 10-258, 10-260 and 10-266 (12-92). (11) Dates: the editor's note says Ord. No. 15-O-37AA was adopted Jan. 1, 2016, while each section's history line gives 1-27-2016.

Document it before you report it

Tallahassee enforces mostly by audibility, but a log of measured levels still makes a complaint concrete and credible. 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 Tallahassee noise map. For time-stamped measurement history you can show a landlord or code officer, the app keeps a log.