Farmington Hills's Noise Ordinances: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles noise ordinances a little differently. In Farmington Hills, Michigan, there are 6 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Barking Dogs

City Code § 6-5 makes it unlawful to keep or harbor any dog, cat, bird, or other animal whose loud or habitual barking, howling, yelping, or calling causes serious annoyance to the neighborhood or to passersby on the street, at any time of day.

Key details: Rule: No habitual barking causing serious annoyance, § 6-5. Covers: Dogs, cats, birds, other animals. Threshold: No decibel or time limit set. Enforcement: Ordinance enforcement officer, § 1-19. Penalty: Up to $500 fine, 90 days jail.

A noisy-animal violation is a misdemeanor under §§ 1-13 and 1-16, since chapter 6 is absent from the civil-infraction list in § 1-25 (except §§ 6-10 and 6-11, which do not cover barking). Conviction carries a fine of up to $500 and prosecution costs, up to 90 days in jail, or both, and each day the noise continues counts as a separate offense under § 1-13.

Decibel Limits

Farmington Hills caps outdoor sound at fixed decibel levels that vary by zoning district and time of day, from a nighttime residential ceiling of 50 dB(A) up to 70 dB(A) anytime in fully industrial areas. Section 17-101 sets the numeric ceiling that code enforcement measures against at the property line.

Key details: Governing section: City Code § 17-101(c), Table A. Residential daytime limit: 60 dB(A), 7 a.m.-7 p.m.. Residential nighttime limit: 50 dB(A), 10 p.m.-7 a.m.. Business daytime limit: 65 dB(A), 7 a.m.-7 p.m.. Industrial limit: 70 dB(A) anytime, all-industrial area.

Exceeding the Table A decibel limits, or creating an intermittent or unreasonably loud sound even under the cap, is a municipal civil infraction under Section 17-107, enforced against the responsible property owner or operator. A special exception from the zoning board of appeals is the only ordinance-based way to exceed the table's numeric ceiling for an ongoing operation.

Quiet Hours

Farmington Hills caps measurable noise at 50 decibels between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. in residential districts, 55 dB from 7 to 10 p.m., and 60 dB from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., under the zoning performance standard in City Code Sec. 17-101, Table A. Business and industrial uses face separate nighttime ceilings, and violations are municipal civil infractions.

Key details: Residential daytime limit: 60 dB(A), 7 a.m.-7 p.m.. Residential evening limit: 55 dB(A), 7-10 p.m.. Residential nighttime limit: 50 dB(A), 10 p.m.-7 a.m.. Business nighttime limit: 50 dB(A) overnight. Measurement standard: ANSI A-weighted dB(A) meter.

Exceeding Table A's limits is a municipal civil infraction under Sec. 17-107, prosecuted through the Code's civil-infraction procedure in Chapter 1 rather than as a criminal misdemeanor. The city can act on a single measured exceedance, and each day the noise source continues to exceed the applicable time-of-day limit may be cited as its own infraction.

Construction Hours

Farmington Hills bars construction noise louder than the area's normal ambient level outside 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., under City Code Sec. 18-164(a). Sunday and legal-holiday construction is prohibited outright except when needed to protect public health, safety or welfare. Violators face a civil infraction fine of up to $500 per day.

Key details: Allowed hours: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.. Sunday/holiday work: prohibited except public-safety emergencies. Max fine: $500 per day. Permit override: permit may authorize different hours. Governing section: City Code § 18-164.

Subsection (b) makes a violation a civil infraction punishable by a fine not to exceed $500, and "each day a violation exists may be considered a separate violation and a fine so imposed," so a multi-day Sunday project or an ongoing after-hours job can accumulate a separate $500 exposure for every day it continues.

Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound

Farmington Hills prohibits playing musical instruments, phonographs, radios, televisions, tape players or any other sound-amplification device so loudly it unreasonably annoys or disturbs neighbors, under City Code Sec. 18-161. The ban applies at any time or place, with no fixed decibel trigger. The Farmington Hills Police Department enforces it as a misdemeanor carrying up to a $500 fine and 90 days in jail.

Key details: Governing section: City Code § 18-161. Standard: unreasonably annoy or disturb neighbors. Time coverage: any time or place, no exemption. Max fine: $500. Max jail term: 90 days.

A Sec. 18-161 violation is prosecuted as a misdemeanor under the Code's general penalty section, Sec. 1-13: a fine of not more than $500, imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 90 days, or both, at the court's discretion. Each day the disturbance continues is chargeable as a separate offense, and the Farmington Hills Police Department may cite on a neighbor's complaint or an officer's own observation of the noise.

Vehicle Noise

Farmington Hills bans operating a parked or moving vehicle's stereo, speakers or similar sound equipment loud enough to be heard or felt as vibration from 50 feet away on a street, driveway, public lot or public place, under City Code Sec. 18-172. Emergency vehicles, ice-cream trucks and permitted public events are exempt.

Key details: Distance test: perceptible at 50 feet or more. Applies to: parked or moving vehicle sound equipment. Locations covered: streets, driveways, public lots, public places. Exemptions: emergency vehicles, ice cream trucks, permitted events. Penalty: up to $500 fine, 90 days jail (Sec. 1-13).

Because Sec. 18-172 has no stand-alone penalty, violations are prosecuted under the Code's general misdemeanor penalty in Sec. 1-13: a fine of not more than $500, imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 90 days, or both, with each day of a continuing violation chargeable separately.

The Bottom Line

Farmington Hills's noise ordinances rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Farmington Hills is broadly strict or permissive.

All of the above reflects Farmington Hills's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.