Noise ordinances › Wichita, KS

Wichita noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: September 20, 2026

Documenting this? A dated log of when the noise started, when it stopped and how loud it got is what Wichita acts on. Log noise levels for a complaint — free, runs in your browser, records no audio.

Quiet hours in Wichita

Night runs from 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. in the decibel table (Sec. 5.63.030(a)): residential 50 dB(A) instead of 55, commercial 55 instead of 60, light industrial 65 instead of 70, industrial 75 instead of 80, parks 55 instead of 60. Construction (erection, excavation, demolition, alteration, repair, and any construction tools or equipment) is a listed nuisance outside 7:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m., except by a Public Works permit in cases of "extreme and urgent necessity" (5.63.010(b)(6)); raucous shouting, whistling, singing or hooting by street vendors "or any other individual" is a nuisance before 7:00 a.m. or after 10:00 p.m. ((b)(5)). Written authorization for sound amplifiers cannot be issued for 10:00 p.m.–8:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday or 11:00 p.m.–8:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday (5.63.060(b)). Lawn maintenance, personal-vehicle repair and home repair are exempt only "during daytime hours" (5.63.040). The general nuisance standard in 5.63.010(a) applies at any hour and expressly weighs "the time of day or night."

Decibel limits

Yes, in Sec. 5.63.030, as the measured meaning of "excessive, unusual, loud and unnecessary": a noise at or above the zone level for the period, or more than 5 dB(A) above the background level, whichever is greater, is excessive. Table: residential 55 dB(A) (8:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.) and 50 dB(A) (10:00 p.m.–8:00 a.m.); commercial 60 / 55; light industrial 70 / 65; industrial 80 / 75; parks 60 / 55; where a source can be measured from two zones the stricter governs. Background noise is measured over 15 minutes and includes traffic. Old Town District: noise may exceed background by 5 dB(A) up to a maximum of 80 dB(A), measured from the outside property line, and levels may be raised or waived for licensed community events. Measurement (5.63.020): A-weighted on an ANSI-standard meter, at least 25 feet from a source on the right-of-way or 25 feet from the property line of a source on private property, wind under 5 mph (25 with a windscreen), with the ambient considered. Note the direction of the numbers: the offense is charged under the reasonable-sensibilities standard of 5.63.010(a), and 5.63.010(c) makes it a defense that the noise did not exceed the 5.63.030 levels, with the burden on the person charged to produce calibrated readings by a trained operator and to give them to the City Attorney's office at least seven days before trial or lose the defense. Amplifier authorizations are capped at 80 dB(A) (5.63.060(c)). Loud vehicles are separately a nuisance under 11.60.240(c), with no decibel figure.

What the ordinance actually says

Sec. 5.63.010(a): "It is unlawful for any person to make, continue or allow to be made or continued, any excessive, unnecessary, unusual or loud noise which creates a nuisance or injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health or safety of others, or which interferes with the use or enjoyment of property of any person of reasonable sensibilities residing in or occupying the area unless the making and continuing of such noise is necessary for the protection and preservation of property or the health and safety of some individual. A determination of whether a sound violates this subsection shall include consideration of facts and circumstances, such as the cause, volume, intensity, nature, and duration, as well as consideration of the time of day or night and zoning and location of where the sound can be heard and the location from where such sound is emitting."

Sec. 5.63.010(b)(6): "Construction. The erection, including construction, excavation, demolition, alteration or repair work, or the permitting or causing thereof, of any building or other structure, or the operation or the permitting or causing the operation of any tools, or equipment used in construction, excavation, drilling, demolition, alteration or repair work: (i) Other than between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.; (ii) This subsection shall not apply in cases of extreme and urgent necessity in the interest of public safety and convenience, and then only by permit obtained from and issued by the Director of Public Works, or any of the Director's duly appointed assistants."

Sec. 5.63.010(b)(8): "Party or Gathering. The congregating or participating in any party or gathering of people from which emanates sound of a sufficient volume so as to create a nuisance or injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health or safety of others, or which interferes with the use or enjoyment of property of any person of reasonable sensibilities residing in or occupying the area. A police officer may order all such persons present at any such party or gathering to immediately disperse from the vicinity of any such party or gathering in lieu of being charged under this section."

Sec. 5.63.010(c): "It shall be a defense to charges filed pursuant to subsection (a) of Section 5.63.010 that such noise levels did not exceed those set forth in Section 5.63.030. Such measurements shall be taken in accordance with the provisions of Section 5.63.020 pertaining to noise levels. It shall be the burden of the individual charged to present evidence of decibel readings obtained from properly calibrated testing equipment operated by an individual trained to operate such equipment."

Sec. 5.63.030(a): "A noise measured or registered as provided herein from any source not exempted by this Chapter at a level which is equal to or in excess of the db(A) established for the time period and zones listed below or that exceeds the background level by five db(A), whichever is greater, is declared to be excessive, unusual, loud and unnecessary, for the purposes of 5.63.010:" Table (8:00 a.m. to next 10:00 p.m. / 10:00 p.m. to next 8:00 a.m.): "Residential 55 db(A) / 50 db(A); Commercial 60 / 55; Light Industrial 70 / 65; Industrial 80 / 75; Parks 60 / 55; Old Town District as set forth in subsection (b)"

Sec. 5.63.090: "Any person who violates any of the provisions of this section within the corporate limits of the city is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be fined in an amount not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000) or be imprisoned in jail for a period not to exceed six (6) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. Each day a violation is committed or permitted to continue shall constitute a separate offense."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Code of the City of Wichita, Chapter 5.63 "Noise Nuisances," created by Ordinance No. 52-810 (passed 9-16-2025, published 9-19-2025, effective on publication), which repealed the former Chapter 7.41 and rewrote Section 11.60.240 (mufflers and loud vehicles): 5.63.010 loud and unnecessary noise prohibited (subsection (a) the standard, (b) enumerated nuisances including music, construction, loading and parties, (c) the decibel defense, (d) exemptions), 5.63.020 classification and measurement of noise, 5.63.030 excessive noise levels (the zone table, background noise, Old Town District), 5.63.040 exceptions, 5.63.050–5.63.070 sound-amplification authorization, review and appeal, 5.63.080 enforcement, 5.63.090 penalty. Read as the adopted ordinance on Municode (the City's code host; listed under adopted ordinances not yet codified) 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 Wichita

Per wichita.gov (Police): the Wichita Police Department's number is 316-268-4111 (Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m.), emergencies 9-1-1; the WPD case desk takes reports by phone at 316-268-4221 and the City's "Report an Issue" portal logs non-emergency service requests. Sec. 5.63.080 gives enforcement power to all law enforcement officers plus deputies of the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (construction noise) and authorized Public Works and Utilities personnel, and 5.63.010(b)(8) lets an officer order everyone at a noisy party to disperse and requires the resident to cooperate in abating it. Penalty: a misdemeanor of up to $1,000 and six months, each day a separate offense (5.63.090); a loud vehicle under 11.60.240(c) carries a fine of $250 to $2,500.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Wichita. 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 law changed in September 2025: Ordinance 52-810 repealed the old Chapter 7.41 and created Chapter 5.63, and a year later Municode still shows it among adopted ordinances not yet codified, so a search of the codified chapters finds nothing and older copies of 7.41 describe repealed text; the numbers carried over, but the structure did not. (2) The table works backwards from most cities: the City charges the reasonable-person nuisance in 5.63.010(a) and the defendant may prove the sound was under the 5.63.030 levels, with the burden of producing calibrated readings, a trained operator and seven days' notice to the City Attorney, or the defense is waived (5.63.010(c)). (3) Night begins at 10:00 p.m. but ends at 8:00 a.m., an hour later than most tables, and construction may start at 7:00 a.m., so the 7–8 a.m. hour has a 50 dB(A) residential level with construction lawful. (4) The residential zone is defined broadly to include hotels, schools, hospitals and nursing homes; a source measurable from two zones gets the stricter one. (5) A party is a listed nuisance and the officer's first tool is dispersal: everyone present can be ordered to leave (residents excepted) and residents must cooperate or be in violation ((b)(8)). (6) Old Town gets a background-plus-5 rule capped at 80 dB(A), and licensed community events can have limits raised or waived (5.63.030(b)). (7) Amplified sound needs written authorization tied to a community-event application, never for 10 p.m.–8 a.m. (11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays) and never above 80 dB(A), with an appeal to the City Council (5.63.050–5.63.070). (8) Fireworks discharged lawfully, community and college sporting events, and emergency and snow-clearing vehicles are exempt (5.63.010(d)); lawn care, car repair and home repair only by day (5.63.040). (9) Penalties rose with the rewrite: up to $1,000 and six months per day (5.63.090), and a loud vehicle now carries a minimum $250 fine (11.60.240(d)).

Document it before you report it

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