How Florissant Handles Noise from Specific Sources: A Practical Guide
Florissant maintains 116 local ordinances across all categories, and 5 of those deal specifically with noise from specific sources. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Florissant falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.
Delivery Truck Noise
Florissant's noise ordinance separately bans loud and excessive noise from loading or unloading vehicles and from opening or destroying bales, boxes, crates and containers, a rule that reaches early-morning delivery trucks. A related Section also lets shopping centers post hours during which delivery trucks may not arrive, idle or unload. Violators face the City's general fine and jail penalty.
Key details: Governing section: § 210.750(B)(9). Prohibited: Loud loading/unloading, box/crate noise. Related rule: § 210.2280 posted delivery hours. Enforcement: Florissant Police, on complaint. Maximum fine: $1,000 (§ 100.080).
Loud loading or unloading noise under Section 210.750(B)(9) is a Chapter 210 offense; because the noise Article carries no separate fine, the general penalty in Section 100.080 applies: up to $1,000 and up to three months in jail, or both, with each day charged separately. A truck violating a posted delivery-hours restriction under Section 210.2280 is enforced the same way, tied to the property's business license.
Car Alarm Limits
Florissant's noise ordinance bans sounding any vehicle horn or signaling device, including a car alarm, for an unreasonable period of time or with unreasonably loud or harsh sound on any City street or public place. Horns are allowed only as a genuine danger warning or during an approved parade; violators face the City's general penalty of up to a $1,000 fine or three months in jail.
Key details: Governing section: § 210.750(B)(1). Prohibited: Horn/signaling device noise, unreasonable duration. Exceptions: Danger warning, approved parade. Enforcement: Florissant Police, on complaint. Maximum fine: $1,000 (§ 100.080).
A car alarm or horn violation is a Chapter 210 municipal offense prosecuted in Florissant Municipal Court. Because Section 210.750 carries no stand-alone penalty, Section 100.080's general penalty applies: a fine up to $1,000, up to three months in the City or County Jail, or both. Each day the disturbance continues is a separate offense, so a car alarm left blaring can rack up cumulative charges.
HVAC & Mechanical Noise
Florissant's noise ordinance bans operating a noise-creating blower, power fan or internal combustion engine that causes noise from exploding operating gases or fluids unless the noise is muffled with a device sufficient to deaden it. The rule reaches loud rooftop or ground-mounted HVAC and ventilation equipment and carries the Chapter 210 general penalty.
Key details: Governing section: § 210.750(B)(16). Standard: Blower/fan noise must be muffled. Covers: Power fans, blowers, gas/fluid engines. No fixed decibel limit: Judged by Subsection A factors. Maximum fine: $1,000 (§ 100.080).
Operating an unmuffled blower, power fan or noise-creating HVAC engine under Section 210.750(B)(16) is a Chapter 210 municipal offense. The noise Article sets no fine of its own, so the general penalty in Section 100.080 applies: up to $1,000, up to three months in the City or County Jail, or both, with each day the equipment runs unmuffled charged as a separate offense.
Generator Noise
Florissant's noise ordinance bans discharging the exhaust of a stationary internal combustion engine, such as a portable generator, into the open air unless it passes through a muffler or similar device that effectively prevents loud or explosive noise. The rule sits inside the City's general loud-noise prohibition and carries the Chapter 210 penalty for violations.
Key details: Governing section: § 210.750(B)(7). Standard: Effective muffler required on exhaust. Covers: Stationary internal combustion engines, generators. No fixed decibel limit: Judged by Subsection A factors. Maximum fine: $1,000 (§ 100.080).
Running a generator, stationary engine or vehicle exhaust without an effective muffler under Section 210.750(B)(7) is a Chapter 210 municipal offense. Because the noise Article carries no fine of its own, the general penalty in Section 100.080 applies: up to a $1,000 fine, up to three months in the City or County Jail, or both, with each day of continued violation prosecuted as a separate offense.
Low-Frequency Bass Limits
Florissant bans operating a radio, television, phonograph or other sound device so loudly it disturbs neighbors, and between 11:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M. treats audibility fifty feet from the source as automatic proof of a violation. The rule covers loud bass from car and home stereos alike and carries the City's general Chapter 210 penalty.
Key details: Governing section: § 210.750(B)(2). Nighttime test: Audible 50 ft, 11PM-7AM = prima facie violation. Daytime standard: Louder than needed for listener in room. Covers: Radios, TVs, phonographs, stereo systems. Maximum fine: $1,000 (§ 100.080).
A stereo or bass-noise violation under Section 210.750(B)(2) is a Chapter 210 municipal offense; sound plainly audible fifty feet away between 11:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M. is prima facie evidence of guilt. The noise Article sets no fine of its own, so the general penalty in Section 100.080 applies: up to $1,000, up to three months in jail, or both, each day a separate offense.
The Bottom Line
Florissant's noise from specific sources 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 Florissant is broadly strict or permissive.
All of the above reflects Florissant'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.