How Springdale Handles Noise Ordinances: A Practical Guide

Springdale maintains 100 local ordinances across all categories, and 8 of those deal specifically with noise ordinances. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Springdale falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Quiet Hours

Springdale codifies a property-line decibel scheme in Chapter 42 Article III (Noise) of the Code of Ordinances, adopted by Ord. No. 4496 on April 26, 2011 and amended by Ord. No. 4782 on April 8, 2014. Section 42-54 Table 1 sets 65 dBA in residential zones from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and 60 dBA from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., measured at the property line.

Key details: Code Section: Code of Ordinances Chapter 42 Article III. Residential Daytime Limit: 65 dBA at property line. Residential Nighttime Limit: 60 dBA (11 p.m. to 7 a.m.). Commercial Limits: 75 dBA day / 70 dBA night. Industrial Limits: 85 dBA day / 80 dBA night.

Section 42-56 fixes a tiered fine schedule that runs hotter than most Arkansas cities: $150 to $250 for the first conviction, $500 to $1,000 for the second, and a minimum of $2,000 for a third or subsequent offense. Each day a violation continues can be charged separately. A parallel state-court charge under A.C.A. Section 5-71-207 (disorderly conduct, Class C misdemeanor) carries up to $100 and 30 days.

Construction Hours

Springdale Chapter 42 Article III Section 42-54(b) classifies construction sites as industrial zones for purposes of the property-line decibel scheme, giving them an 85 dBA daytime cap (7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.) and 80 dBA nighttime cap (11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.) measured at the property line. There is no clock-time construction ban. Section 42-54(d) authorizes the Chief Building Inspector to issue a 14-day emergency permit when public health and safety require exceeding the table.

Key details: Code Section: Chapter 42 Sec. 42-54(b) and 42-54(d). Construction Classification: Industrial zone for noise purposes. Daytime Limit (7 a.m. to 11 p.m.): 85 dBA at property line. Nighttime Limit (11 p.m. to 7 a.m.): 80 dBA at property line. Emergency Permit Duration: Up to 14 days (Chief Building Inspector).

Section 42-56 tiered fines apply to construction-site violations: $150 to $250 first offense; $500 to $1,000 second offense; at least $2,000 third or subsequent offense. Each day of violation can be charged separately. The Building Department retains stop-work authority for permit-related noncompliance under the adopted building code, separate from noise enforcement. Operating without a required emergency permit during off-hour work that breaches the table is the most common citation route.

Barking Dogs

Springdale Code Section 42-51 expressly folds barking dogs into the 'noise disturbance' definition. Owning, keeping or harboring any animal that 'continuously, repeatedly, or persistently, without provocation by the complainant, creates a sound which unreasonably disturbs or interferes with the peace, comfort or repose of persons of ordinary sensibilities' is a per-se violation of Section 42-52, in addition to any Chapter 14 (Animals) provisions.

Key details: Code Section: Chapter 42 Section 42-51(2) and 42-52. Test: Continuously, repeatedly, or persistently. Standard: Reasonable person of ordinary sensibilities. Animal Services: (479) 750-8166. State Authority: A.C.A. Section 14-54-1102 (dogs at large).

Section 42-56 fines: $150 to $250 first offense; $500 to $1,000 second offense; at least $2,000 third or subsequent offense. Each day a barking violation continues is a separate offense. Animal Services may impound a habitually-disturbing dog in coordination with Police, and Chapter 14 violations (license, leash, at-large) carry independent fines and impound fees. A nuisance suit in Washington County Circuit Court is the civil alternative for chronic neighbor cases.

Leaf Blower Rules

Springdale Chapter 42 Article III does not list leaf blowers, lawn mowers, or other yard equipment as a separate regulated category, and there is no gas-blower ban or hour-of-day equipment ban. Operators are bound only by the generally-applicable property-line decibel scheme in Section 42-54: 65 dBA daytime / 60 dBA nighttime in residential zones, measured at the property line, with the reasonable-person standard backstopping at any hour.

Key details: Equipment-Specific Ban: None. Applicable Rule: General property-line dBA scheme. Residential Daytime Cap: 65 dBA (7 a.m. to 11 p.m.). Residential Nighttime Cap: 60 dBA (11 p.m. to 7 a.m.). Code Section: Chapter 42 Section 42-54 Table 1.

Section 42-56 tiered fines apply: $150 to $250 first offense; $500 to $1,000 second offense; at least $2,000 third or subsequent offense. Each day of operation can be charged separately. Commercial landscapers operating before 7:00 a.m. or after 11:00 p.m. in a residential neighborhood are the most common citation profile, given that backpack blowers at 5-15 feet from a property line routinely register 70+ dBA - well over the 60 dBA residential nighttime cap.

Springdale is more permissive than most cities when it comes to leaf blower rules. That said, there are still limits.

Amplified Music & Events

Amplified music in Springdale is regulated directly under Chapter 42 Article III. Section 42-51 includes a third prong of the 'noise disturbance' definition specifically for sound amplification devices - radios, stereos, boom boxes, loudspeakers, musical instruments and amplifiers. Section 42-54 Table 1 enforces 65 dBA daytime / 60 dBA nighttime residential property-line caps (75/70 commercial; 85/80 industrial).

Key details: Code Sections: Sec. 42-51, 42-54, 42-55(a). Vehicle Plainly-Audible Rule: 30 feet from vehicle = violation. Residential dBA Cap: 65 day / 60 night at property line. Commercial dBA Cap (clubs/restaurants): 75 day / 70 night. Shiloh Square Lessee Carveout: Lessees NOT exempt under Sec. 42-57(5).

Section 42-56 tiered fines: $150 to $250 first offense; $500 to $1,000 second offense; at least $2,000 third or subsequent offense. Section 42-55(a) vehicle-amplification violations are charged under the same penalty table. Sound equipment can be seized as evidence in repeat-violator cases. A state-court disorderly-conduct charge under A.C.A. Section 5-71-207 (Class C misdemeanor, up to $100 and 30 days) is independently available for intentional or reckless public disturbance.

Aircraft Noise

Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA / KXNA) is located in Highfill, Benton County - roughly 10 nautical miles northwest of Springdale - and is operated by the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Authority on which the City of Springdale appoints board members. Federal law preempts local regulation of aircraft in flight under 49 U.S.C. Section 40103, so Springdale's Chapter 42 Article III cannot be applied to pilots, takeoffs, or approaches.

Key details: Airport: Northwest Arkansas National (XNA / KXNA). Location: Highfill, Benton County (~10 nm NW of Springdale). Operator: Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Authority. Federal Framework: 14 CFR Part 150 + 49 U.S.C. Section 40103. Preemption Case: City of Burbank v. Lockheed (1973).

No local penalty for aircraft noise can be imposed. Federal violations of 14 CFR Section 91.119 (minimum safe altitudes) or other Federal Aviation Regulations are enforced by the FAA against the pilot or operator - certificate suspension, civil penalty up to $37,377 per violation (49 U.S.C. Section 46301 as adjusted for inflation). Land-use noncompliance within Part 77 imaginary surfaces around XNA can affect building permits through host-county zoning. Springdale's Chapter 42 fine schedule does not reach pilots or operators in flight.

The rules around aircraft noise in Springdale lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Vehicle Noise

Vehicle noise in Springdale is reached by Chapter 42 Section 42-55, which bans (a) operating any sound amplification device from within a vehicle so that the sound is plainly audible at 30 feet or more from the vehicle, and (b) operating a compression-release engine brake (Jake brake) within city limits except in service-brake failure, adverse weather, or other emergency. A.C.A. Section 27-37-601 is the state muffler statute.

Key details: Code Section: Chapter 42 Section 42-55. Plainly-Audible Test: 30 feet from vehicle = violation. Engine Brake (Jake Brake): Banned in city limits (Sec. 42-55(b)). Emergency Exception: Brake failure, adverse weather, other emergency. State Muffler Statute: A.C.A. Section 27-37-601.

Section 42-56 fines: $150 to $250 first offense; $500 to $1,000 second offense; at least $2,000 third or subsequent offense for both 42-55(a) and 42-55(b) violations. A.C.A. Section 27-37-601 muffler violations are a separate state-court infraction with fines typically $25 to $100 plus court costs. Habitual violators driving modified-exhaust vehicles face cumulative daily charges and potential equipment-impoundment as evidence in repeat cases.

Industrial Noise

Industrial property in Springdale carries the highest property-line decibel cap under Chapter 42 Section 42-54 Table 1: 85 dBA from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and 80 dBA from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. The ordinance enforces at BOTH the source property line AND the receiving property line, and when a sound source can be measured in more than one use district, the most restrictive limit applies at the district boundary.

Key details: Industrial Day Limit: 85 dBA at property line (7 a.m. to 11 p.m.). Industrial Night Limit: 80 dBA at property line (11 p.m. to 7 a.m.). Dual-Measurement Rule: Source AND receiving property line both apply. Cross-District Rule: Most restrictive limit applies at boundary. Meter Type: Type-2 or better, A-weighted (Sec. 42-53).

Section 42-56 tiered fines apply equally to industrial operators: $150 to $250 first offense; $500 to $1,000 second offense; at least $2,000 third or subsequent. Each day a violation continues is a separately chargeable offense, which is the practical hook against continuous operations such as refrigeration compressors or 24-hour processing lines. Common-law nuisance damages and injunctive relief in Washington County Circuit Court are independent of the Chapter 42 fines.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Springdale gives residents more room on noise ordinances. 2 of the 8 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.

These rules come from Springdale's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.