Noise from Specific Sources in Houston, TX (2026)
4 verified noise from specific sources rules for Houston, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
HVAC & Mechanical Noise
Under Houston's noise ordinance, an air conditioning unit that stays at or below 65 dB(A) on residential property or 75 dB(A) on nonresidential property is a legal defense to a Chapter 30 noise citation.
Houston HVAC Noise Defense: 65/75 dB(A) Caps
Some RestrictionsHouston Code of Ordinances § 30-16(9)
The sound was produced by the operation of any air conditioning unit that did not produce a sound exceeding 65 dB(A) on residential property or 75 dB(A) on nonresidential property, when measured from the property line of the non-residential or residential property where the sound is received to the source of the sound.
Bar & Nightclub Noise
Bars and nightclubs within 300 feet of a home need a City sound permit to run amplified music past 10 or 11 p.m., and all outdoor sound cuts off at 2 a.m.
Houston Bar and Nightclub Noise Permit
Significant RestrictionsHouston Code of Ordinances § 30-8(b)
it shall be unlawful for any commercial establishment located within 300 feet of a residential property...to use, cause to be used, or permit the use of any sound amplification equipment at any outdoor area on the commercial establishments premises...to be heard or appreciated beyond the property lines of the commercial establishment after 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and after 11 p.m. Frid...
Car Alarm Limits
Houston's burglar-alarm permit article, Chapter 11, expressly excludes vehicle alarms: Section 11-50 says the article covers burglar, holdup, and panic alarms but "not audible alarms affixed to motor vehicles," and Section 11-51 excludes an "alarm installed in a motor vehicle solely to prevent theft" from the permit definition. A blaring car alarm is instead handled under the general noise ordinance.
Houston Car Alarms Exempt From Alarm Permits
Light RestrictionsHouston Code of Ordinances § 11-50
This article is intended to specifically encompass "burglar alarms," "holdup alarms," and "panic alarms," whether audible or inaudible (silent), and other such alarm systems, but not audible alarms affixed to motor vehicles, personal emergency response system alarms, or fire alarms.
Low-Frequency Bass Limits
Houston bans sound that makes neighbors feel vibrations or resonance, even when it stays under the chapter's dB(A) limits: the rule that reaches thumping bass and subwoofers.
Houston Bass Vibration Noise Rule
Some RestrictionsHouston Code of Ordinances § 30-5(b)
Regardless of the measurable dB(A) level established in this chapter and measured in a manner provided in subsection (a) of this section, the creation of any sound causing persons occupying or using any property other than the property upon which the sound is being generated to be aware of vibrations or resonance caused by the sound shall be prima facie evidence of a sound that unreasonably dis...
Looking for Harris County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Houston city rules.
Noise from Specific Sources in Harris County →