Noise Ordinances in Ada County, ID (2026)
7 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Ada County, Idaho.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
In unincorporated Ada County, loud or offensive noise is prohibited between 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM. Noise is 'loud or unusual' if plainly audible in another residence or 100 feet away on a public street. Violations are a misdemeanor.
Ada County Quiet Hours: 10 PM to 7 AM
Some RestrictionsAda County Code 5-13-2
The purpose of this chapter is to provide for and further the safety, health, peace, good order, comfort and convenience of the inhabitants of Ada County by providing a procedure for abating loud or offensive noises within the County between the hours of ten o'clock (10:00) P.M. and seven o'clock (7:00) A.M.
Construction Hours
Ada County has no separate construction-hours ordinance; construction noise falls under the general 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM prohibition in chapter 13. In June, July and August, landscape maintenance may begin at 6:00 AM due to extreme heat.
Construction Noise Limited to Daytime Hours
Some RestrictionsAda County Code 5-13-3
Due to extreme heat during the summer months of June, July and August landscape maintenance noise may begin at six o'clock (6:00) A.M.
Barking Dogs
Ada County makes habitual barking a criminal public nuisance under Code section 5-7-14. A dog crossing the 30-minutes-incessant or 60-minutes-in-24-hours noise threshold, audible beyond the property line and unreasonably disturbing a neighbor, exposes its owner to a misdemeanor charge enforced by the Animal Control Agency and shelter staff.
Ada County's Habitual Barking Dog Nuisance Law
Some RestrictionsAda County Code § 5-7-14
It shall be unlawful for a person to fail to exercise proper care and control of their animal. To prevent it from becoming a public nuisance, as the term public nuisance is defined in Chapter 1, Title 52, of the Idaho Code, a person shall be subject to criminal liability and guilty of a misdemeanor for allowing an animal to become a public nuisance when such person permits or allows an animal t...
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
The Ada County Noise Ordinance, Code 5-13-3(A), bans loud or unusual noise from voices, musical instruments, horns, radios, loudspeakers, sound amplifying equipment and machinery between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. countywide. Noise counts as unlawful once it is plainly audible inside another home or business, or 100 feet away on a public street, unless the Board grants an exemption or waiver.
Amplified Sound and Noise Hour Rules in Ada County
Some RestrictionsAda County Code 5-13-3(A)
A. Between the hours of ten o'clock (10:00) P.M. one day and seven o'clock (7:00) A.M. the next day, it shall be unlawful for any person or business to make, cause, or allow loud or unusual noise by means of voice, musical instrument, horn, radio, loudspeaker, automobile, machinery, other sound amplifying equipment, domesticated animals, or any other means which disturbs the peace, quiet, and c...
Aircraft Noise
Aircraft and other FAA-regulated planes are expressly exempted from Ada County's general noise ordinance, so residents cannot cite Chapter 13 to stop overflight noise near Boise Air Terminal. Instead, the county manages aircraft noise through the Boise Air Terminal Airport Influence Areas (BAT) Overlay District, which caps residential density and requires an avigation easement before any zoning certificate issues within the mapped noise contours.
Aircraft Noise Rules in Ada County, Idaho
Some RestrictionsAda County Code 5-13-4(A)
A. Exemptions: This chapter shall not apply to emergency vehicles, while acting in response to an emergency; locomotive or other railway equipment; airplanes and other FAA regulated aircraft; nor public displays of fireworks authorized and approved under chapter 26, title 39, Idaho Code. The Board may grant other exemptions to the ordinance after approval of a resolution that includes a rationa...
Decibel Limits
Ada County does not set a decibel number for everyday noise complaints. Under Code 5-13-3(A), a sound source violates the noise ordinance once it is plainly audible inside another home or business, or from 100 feet away on a public street, between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., with narrower dBA limits reserved for specific facilities like county parks.
Ada County Noise Rule: No Decibel Meter Used
Some RestrictionsAda County Code 5-13-3(A)-(C)
Loud or unusual noise is that which is plainly audible within any residence or business, other than the source of the sound, or upon a public right-of-way or street at a distance of one hundred feet (100') or more from the source of said sound. B. Due to extreme heat during the summer months of June, July and August construction noise may begin at six o'clock (6:00) A.M. C. Due to extreme heat ...
Vehicle Noise
Ada County adopts Idaho's vehicle noise law wholesale for the unincorporated area under Code section 6-1-1, so Idaho Code 49-937's muffler and exhaust-noise rules are enforced as county traffic violations. On top of that, the county separately bans jake brakes outright under section 6-1-4.
Vehicle Noise and Muffler Rules in Ada County
Some RestrictionsIdaho Code § 49-937(1)
49-937. Mufflers -- prevention of noise. (1) Every motor vehicle shall at all times be equipped with a muffler in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise and annoying smoke, and no person shall use a muffler cut-out, bypass, or similar device on a motor vehicle on a highway. ... No person shall disconnect any part of that system except temporarily in o...
Noise Ordinances by City in Ada County
1 cities in Ada County have their own noise ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Ada County ordinances
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