Noise Ordinances in Jackson, MS

If you live in Jackson or are thinking about moving there, noise ordinances are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Jackson has 6 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of noise ordinances, and some of them might surprise you.

Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound

City Code Sec. 54-89(e) bars any noise, including amplified music, that crosses a property line above the levels in Table A: 55 dBA reaching residential property and 57 dBA reaching commercial property. Those limits drop by 10 dBA between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays, and 10:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. on weekends, when the receiving property is residential.

Key details: Residential limit: 55 dBA at the receiving property line. Commercial limit: 57 dBA at the receiving property line. Nighttime reduction: -10 dBA, 10pm-7am weekdays / 9am weekends. Primary enforcer: Chief of Police (Sec. 54-91). Penalty: $250-$500 fine or up to 60 days jail.

Sec. 54-92 makes a violation a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $250.00 nor more than $500.00, or imprisonment up to 60 days, or both. Each occurrence, or each day a continuous violation persists, counts as a separate offense that can be punished separately.

Aircraft Noise

Jackson's noise ordinance does not regulate aircraft: § 54-90(3) exempts any aircraft in flight, subject to federal noise-control law, and any helicopter landing or taking off at a city-licensed helipad within its license conditions, from the Table A decibel limits. Section 54-90(5) separately exempts sounds originating at airports that are directly related to flight operations.

Key details: Aircraft in flight: Fully exempt from Table A, § 54-90(3). Licensed helipad landings/takeoffs: Exempt if within the helipad's license terms. Airport ground sounds: Exempt if directly related to flight operations, § 54-90(5). Local recourse: None; regulation runs through federal law. Exception: Helicopter violating its helipad license loses the exemption.

There is no local violation to enforce for aircraft noise itself; § 54-90(3) and (5) remove it from Table A entirely. The narrow exception is a helicopter operating outside its helipad license's conditions, which forfeits the exemption and can then be cited under § 54-92's misdemeanor penalty of $250.00 to $500.00, up to 60 days in jail, or both.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Jackson gives residents more flexibility on aircraft noise.

Construction Hours

Jackson does not set a citywide curfew on private construction noise: § 54-90(13) exempts construction under a valid building permit from the Table A decibel limits at any hour, so long as manufacturer-installed mufflers and noise-reducing equipment stay in use. Government street and bridge work is separately allowed to run 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. under § 54-90(10) when daytime work is impractical.

Key details: Private construction: Exempt from Table A limits under permit, § 54-90(13). Condition: Manufacturer mufflers/noise equipment must be in use. Government roadwork window: 7:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m. when daytime work impractical. No fixed curfew: No set start/stop clock for private jobsites. Enforcing agency: Chief of police under § 54-91.

Because permitted construction is exempt from Table A, there is no separate construction-hours fine to violate as long as the required mufflers and noise-reducing equipment stay on the machinery. If a contractor operates without a required permit and without that equipment, ordinary Table A enforcement applies: a § 54-92 misdemeanor carrying $250.00 to $500.00 in fines, up to 60 days in jail, or both.

Jackson is more permissive than most cities when it comes to construction hours. That said, there are still limits.

Vehicle Noise

Jackson bans driving 'a vehicle which is so loaded or constructed as to cause unnecessary noise' under City Code § 118-18, reaching rattling loads, defective mufflers and other vehicle-generated noise on any city street. Because the section carries no stated fine, violators fall under the Code's general penalty: up to $1,000.00 or jail time under § 1-10.

Key details: Prohibited act: Driving a vehicle loaded/built to cause unnecessary noise. Governing section: City Code § 118-18 (Code 1971 § 27-24). Max penalty: Up to $1,000 fine under general penalty § 1-10. State law tie-in: MCA § 63-7-65(1), unnecessary horn use. Separate from: Chapter 54's property-line decibel noise test.

A § 118-18 violation is enforced as a general Code offense: a fine up to $1,000.00, imprisonment up to the maximum term state law allows for the offense, or both, under § 1-10. There is no separate schedule of fines specific to noisy vehicles, and the section can be cited independently of the decibel-based noise ordinance in Chapter 54.

Jackson is more permissive than most cities when it comes to vehicle noise. That said, there are still limits.

Decibel Limits

Jackson caps noise crossing a property line at 55 dBA for receiving residential property and 57 dBA for commercial property under City Code § 54-89's Table A. The chief of police measures compliance with a certified sound-level meter, and if the ambient sound level already meets or exceeds the cap, that higher ambient reading becomes the enforceable ceiling.

Key details: Residential limit: 55 dBA at the property line. Commercial limit: 57 dBA at the property line. Measurement point: Property line of the receiving premises. Enforcing agency: Chief of Police, sound-level meter. Penalty: $250-$500 fine, up to 60 days jail.

Exceeding Table A's dBA limits is a misdemeanor under § 54-92, punishable by a fine of not less than $250.00 nor more than $500.00, imprisonment up to 60 days, or both. Every occurrence, or every day a continuous violation persists, is a separately punishable offense, and any adult, not just police, may file a complaint in the appropriate court to enforce the article.

Quiet Hours

Jackson tightens its noise limits after dark: under City Code § 54-89, the Table A decibel caps drop by ten dBA in residential districts between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and 10:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. on weekends, giving residents a lower nighttime and weekend-morning threshold than during the day.

Key details: Weekday quiet hours: 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.. Weekend quiet hours: 10:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.. Nighttime reduction: Minus 10 dBA off the Table A limit. Effective residential ceiling: 45 dBA overnight (55 dBA minus 10). Applies to: Receiving property in a residential district.

A nighttime violation is enforced the same way as any other Table A breach: a misdemeanor under § 54-92 carrying a fine of $250.00 to $500.00, up to 60 days in jail, or both, with every night the noise recurs, or every occurrence, counted as a separate offense.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Jackson gives residents more room on noise ordinances. 3 of the 6 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

Keep in mind that Jackson can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.