Noise Ordinances in Westminster, CO

If you live in Westminster or are thinking about moving there, noise ordinances are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Westminster has 3 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of noise ordinances, and some of them might surprise you.

Barking Dogs

Westminster makes it a civil infraction for an owner to let an animal disturb neighbors with unreasonably loud, persistent barking, howling, or yelping. A written warning must precede any citation, and a summons at trial needs two witnesses from different households or five minutes of corroborating video.

Key details: Governing section: W.M.C. § 6-7-7. Fine on conviction: Up to $500.00. Warning required first: Yes, within prior 12 months. Witness rule: 2 witnesses, different households. Video alternative: 5+ uninterrupted minutes.

A first substantiated complaint draws only a written warning from Animal Management or police, not a citation. Any further violation within 12 months of that warning can be cited as a civil infraction, and conviction carries a fine up to $500.00. The City must still produce two witnesses from separate households, or one witness plus 5+ minutes of video, to convict at trial.

Quiet Hours

Westminster imposes strict quiet hours from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. at Standley Lake Regional Park, banning generators, music and radios, and caps noise at 60 decibels at 50 feet even outside those hours to protect other visitors and wildlife.

Key details: Quiet hours: 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.. Daytime noise cap: 60 dB at 50 feet. Location: Standley Lake Regional Park. Governing section: W.M.C. § 13-1-16(H). Overnight park closure: Sunset to sunrise (§ 13-1-16(F)).

Violating the quiet-hours or decibel limit is enforced under the general Chapter 13-1 penalty, Section 1-8-1, W.M.C., per Section 13-1-4(B), and Standley Lake Regional Park staff or law enforcement officers may eject a violator under Section 13-1-3(B). Anyone in the park after the sunset-to-sunrise closure is additionally subject to citation for trespassing under Section 6-3-5, W.M.C.

Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound

Westminster's Chapter 4 sound truck ordinance sets hard limits on vehicle-mounted amplified sound equipment: operation only between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. for up to nine hours a day, volume that cannot carry beyond 100 yards, and a $5 annual registration with the City Clerk before any sound truck can broadcast music or speech on city streets.

Key details: Permitted hours: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., 9 hrs/day. Audibility limit: Not audible beyond 100 yards. School buffer: 500 feet during the school year. Hospital/church buffer: 100 yards. Registration fee: $5 per vehicle, annual, City Clerk.

Operating a sound truck's amplifying equipment without the $5 annual registration on file with the City Clerk, or outside the 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., nine-hour window, is a criminal offense under Section 9-4-3, W.M.C., punishable by fine or imprisonment, or both, under Section 1-8-1, W.M.C. Exceeding the 100-yard audibility limit, broadcasting within the buffers around hospitals, churches or schools, or repeating a route's amplified sound more than once a day carries the same criminal penalty.

The Bottom Line

Westminster'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 Westminster is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that Westminster 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.