Noise Ordinances in Bowie, MD (2026)
7 verified noise ordinances for Bowie, Maryland, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
In the City of Bowie, 'nighttime' runs 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., and Chapter 13 tightens the property-line noise ceiling for residential land during those hours to 50 dBA, down from 60 dBA by day, per City Code § 13-2B. Sound plainly audible past the property line above that level is a municipal infraction citable under § 13-6.
Bowie Nighttime Noise Limits (9 PM-7 AM)
Some RestrictionsBowie City Code §§ 13-1, 13-2B
NIGHTTIME The hours from 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., local time. ... ... § 13-2. Noise exceeding measurable standards. ... ... B. The noise prohibited in Subsection A of this section shall include noise exceeding the following standards: Land Use of Receiving Property Maximum Decibel Level ... Residential 60 dBA, daytime 50 dBA, nighttime
Construction Hours
City Code § 13-3.A(8) limits construction, demolition, excavation and repair noise in the City of Bowie to 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekends; work outside those hours needs the City Manager's written permission under § 13-4.D. New-development violations carry a $500 first-offense fine and $1,000 for each repeat under § 13-6.A(1).
Permitted Construction Hours in Bowie, MD
Some RestrictionsBowie City Code §§ 13-3.A(8), 13-4.D, 13-6.A(1)
(8) Construction or repairing of buildings. The erection (including excavation), demolition, alteration or repair of any building or structure other than between the following hours: (a) Monday through Friday: 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (b) Saturday and Sunday: 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. ... ... D. This chapter shall not apply to the erection (including excavation), demolition, alteration or repair o...
Barking Dogs
Bowie treats a dog that will not stop barking as a public nuisance under § 4-13 of the Animal Control chapter: keeping any animal so it disturbs the peace, comfort or health of a City resident, including frequent or long-continued noise, is prohibited. The City can cite the owner without warning if the animal has generated a noise nuisance in the past 12 months, or after a witnessed violation or a two-witness affidavit.
Bowie Barking Dog and Animal Nuisance Rule
Some RestrictionsBowie City Code § 4-13
No person shall keep or maintain any animal in the City of Bowie in such manner as to cause or permit the animal to be a public nuisance or to cause or permit the animal to cause a public nuisance condition. No person shall keep or maintain any animal in the City of Bowie in such a manner as to disturb the peace, comfort or health of any person residing within the City. ... Unreasonably disturb...
Leaf Blower Rules
The City of Bowie exempts lawn care and snow removal equipment, including leaf blowers, from its noise ordinance only between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on weekends under City Code § 13-4.E. Equipment must also be maintained to the manufacturer's specifications. Outside those hours it falls back under the general loud-or-raucous-sound ban in § 13-3.A.
Leaf Blower and Lawn Equipment Hours in Bowie
Light RestrictionsBowie City Code §§ 13-3.A, 13-4.E
In addition to the prohibition set forth in § 13-2 of this chapter, it shall be unlawful, at any hour during the daytime or nighttime, for any owner or occupant of real property located within the City to make or generate any loud or raucous sound on said property, or to permit any loud or raucous sound to be made or generated on said property, or for any person to make or generate any loud or ...
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
The City of Bowie bans loudspeakers, radios, phonographs and other sound amplifiers used to advertise a business or draw public attention to a property, at any hour, under City Code § 13-3.A(2), unless the government authorizes it or it happens during a public emergency. A first violation carries a $500 fine and each later offense $1,000 under § 13-6.A(2).
Amplified Sound and Loudspeaker Rules in Bowie
Significant RestrictionsBowie City Code §§ 13-3.A(2), 13-6.A(2)
In addition to the prohibition set forth in § 13-2 of this chapter, it shall be unlawful, at any hour during the daytime or nighttime, for any owner or occupant of real property located within the City to make or generate any loud or raucous sound on said property, or to permit any loud or raucous sound to be made or generated on said property, or for any person to make or generate any loud or ...
Decibel Limits
The City of Bowie caps outdoor noise by numeric decibel level under City Code § 13-2: 60 dBA daytime and 50 dBA nighttime for residential land use, 67/62 dBA for commercial, and a flat 75 dBA for industrial, measured at the property line. Noise plainly audible above these ceilings is a municipal infraction enforced by Bowie Code Compliance and police.
Bowie Noise Decibel Limits by Zone
Some RestrictionsBowie City Code § 13-2
A. It is prohibited for any person located within the City to make any noise or operate any sound amplifier on any property owned or occupied by such person, or to permit any noise to be made or any sound amplifier to be operated on property owned or occupied by such person, at a level higher than those set forth in Subsection B of this section and that is plainly audible to any person beyond t...
Vehicle Noise
The City of Bowie requires vehicle exhaust to run through a working muffler under City Code § 13-3.A(5) and caps car stereo and sound-amplification noise so it is not plainly audible 50 or more feet from the vehicle, or beyond the property line if parked on private property, under § 13-3.A(14). Both are municipal infractions under § 13-6, enforced by Bowie police and code enforcement.
Vehicle Stereo and Muffler Noise Rules in Bowie
Some RestrictionsBowie City Code §§ 13-3.A(5), 13-3.A(14)
(5) Exhausts. The discharge into the open air of the exhaust of any steam engine, stationary internal combustion engine, motorboat, or motor vehicle except through a muffler or other device which will effectively prevent loud or explosive noises therefrom. ... (14) No person operating or occupying a motor vehicle on any street, highway, alley, parking lot, or driveway, public place or private p...
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