Noise Ordinances in Lincoln, NE (2026)
7 verified noise ordinances for Lincoln, Nebraska, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Lincoln drops residential sound limits after 10 p.m., cutting the daytime dB(A) ceiling by 10 points until 7 a.m. under the city noise ordinance.
Lincoln Nighttime Noise Limits
Some RestrictionsLincoln Municipal Code § 8.24.090(a)(1)
Operating, playing, or permitting the operation or playing of any radio, television, phonograph, drum, musical instrument, sound amplifier, or similar device which produces, reproduces, or amplifies sound in such a manner as to create a noise disturbance across a residential real property boundary...The standards are 60 db(a), maximum three minute Leq, for the time period 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m...
Construction Hours
Lincoln bars noisy construction, drilling, or demolition work between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. if it disturbs a residential property line, with exceptions for emergency utility work and small home power tools.
Lincoln Construction Noise Hours
Some RestrictionsLincoln Municipal Code § 8.24.090(a)(5)(i)
5. Construction: Operating or permitting the operation of any tools or equipment used in construction, drilling, or demolition work: i. Between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. the following day on any day in such a manner as to create a noise disturbance across a residential real property boundary or noise-sensitive zone, except for emergency work of public service utilities or by varianc...
Barking Dogs
Lincoln treats barking dogs and other noisy animals as a noise disturbance if sound crosses onto a neighboring residential property, with property line limits of 65 db(a) daytime and 55 db(a) at night.
Lincoln Barking Dog Noise Limits
Some RestrictionsLincoln Municipal Code § 8.24.090(a)(3)
Animals and birds: Owning, possessing, or harboring any animal or bird which makes sounds which create a noise disturbance across a residential real property boundary or within a noise-sensitive zone. The following property line noise standards may be applied to the residential receiving land use or noise-sensitive zone to determine the existence of a noise disturbance: 65 db(a), maximum one mi...
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Amplified music, radios, or sound amplifiers that cross a residential property line above 60 dB(A) by day or 50 dB(A) at night violate Lincoln's noise ordinance, unless a public event permit sets other limits.
Lincoln Outdoor Amplified Music Limits
Some RestrictionsLincoln Municipal Code § 8.24.090(a)(1)
Operating, playing, or permitting the operation or playing of any radio, television, phonograph, drum, musical instrument, sound amplifier, or similar device which produces, reproduces, or amplifies sound in such a manner as to create a noise disturbance across a residential real property boundary or within a noise-sensitive zone, except for activities open to the public and for which any requi...
Aircraft Noise
Lincoln bars new residential and other noise-sensitive uses above 65 DNL near the municipal airport and requires every property owner in the noise district to grant the city an avigation and noise easement before getting a permit.
Lincoln Airport Noise Easement Rule
Significant RestrictionsLincoln Municipal Code § 27.58.080 (Airport Environs Noise District)
All uses allowed within the Airport Environs Noise District, except as provided in Section 27.58.090, shall be conditioned upon the grant by the property owner of an avigation and noise easement. Such easement shall be a condition of subdivision, community unit plan, special permit, use permit, or building permit. The avigation and noises easement is to be submitted pursuant to the terms of thi...
Decibel Limits
Lincoln caps industrial noise at 75 dBA and commercial noise at 70 dBA at the receiving property line at all times, but exempts loading, vehicle-repair, and idling noise from commercial/industrial sites between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Lincoln Industrial Noise Limit: 75 dBA
Some RestrictionsLincoln Municipal Code § 8.24.090
Commercial or business At all times 70 ... Industrial At all times 75 ... All activities within a commercial or industrial land area shall be exempt from any of the general or specific provisions in subparts (4), (6), and (16)(i) of subsection (a) between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. of the same day on any day.
Vehicle Noise
Lincoln makes it unlawful to operate a motor vehicle with loud, unnecessary noise or a stereo audible more than 50 feet away on any street or public place, on top of separate exhaust and drive-by sound-level standards.
Lincoln Vehicle Noise and Stereo Limits
Some RestrictionsLincoln Municipal Code § 10.14.460
a. It shall be unlawful for any person in the operation of a motor vehicle to make any loud or unusual noise unnecessary in the normal and lawful operation of a motor vehicle. b. It shall be unlawful for any person in the operation of a motor vehicle to operate any radio, tape player, compact disc player, stereophonic sound system, or any similar device which reproduces or amplifies radio broad...
Looking for Lancaster County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Lincoln city rules.
Noise Ordinances in Lancaster County →