10 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Orleans Parish, Louisiana.
Verified from official government sources
In New Orleans (Orleans Parish), amplified sound in a home may not be plainly audible one foot from a neighbor's exterior wall between 9:00 p.m. Sunday-Thursday (10:30 p.m. Friday/Saturday) and 10:00 a.m. the next morning.
New Orleans City Code Sec. 66-203(3)d
It shall be unlawful between the hours of 9:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10:00 a.m. on the subsequent morning or between the hours of 10:30 p.m. on a Friday or Saturday and 10:00 a.m. the subsequent morning to operate or play in a dwelling ... any radio, television, phonograph, loudspeaker, sound-amplification equipment or similar device which produces ... sound in such a manner as to be...
Permitted construction and demolition is exempt from decibel limits only between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.; in RS, RD or RM residential districts (or within 300 feet of one), work may not begin before 7:00 a.m. or continue after 6:00 p.m.
New Orleans City Code Sec. 66-138(7)
Construction and/or demolition activities shall not begin before 7:00 a.m. or continue after 6:00 p.m. in areas zoned as RS, RD, or RM residential districts, or within 300 feet of such residential districts. Mufflers on construction equipment shall be maintained.
It is unlawful for the owner or keeper of any animal or fowl in New Orleans to allow frequent or continuing noise that disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivity, with escalating fines.
New Orleans City Code Sec. 66-203(1)
Animals. It shall be unlawful for the owner or keeper of any animal or fowl to allow frequent or continuing noise which disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivity.
Outdoor power equipment (including leaf blowers) may not run in residential zones between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. weekdays (8:00 a.m. weekends); small units are capped at 75 dBA and larger ones at 82 dBA at 50 feet during daytime.
New Orleans City Code Sec. 66-203(6)
It shall be unlawful to operate or permit to be operated any power equipment in residential zones outdoors between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day, and on weekends between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. During daytime hours ... power equipment rated five horsepower or less shall not exceed a sound level of 75 dBA at a distance of 50 feet. Power equipment rated more than five h...
Bars and music venues in the Vieux Carre and CBD must keep loudspeakers inside the building and away from doors and windows; amplified sound in public parks or rights-of-way may not exceed 80 decibels averaged at 50 feet.
New Orleans City Code Sec. 66-209(c)(1)
In all commercial enterprises, no loudspeaker(s) shall be located beyond the interior walls of the building or be oriented in such a way that the face or front of the loudspeaker(s) points in the direction of any exterior door, window, or other opening to the exterior of the building.
It is unlawful to run or test an aircraft engine so it exceeds the Table 1 limit of the receiving land use anywhere in an inhabited zone; aircraft landing, taking off or taxiing at an airport are exempt.
New Orleans City Code Sec. 66-203(8)a
It shall be unlawful for any person to operate, run, or test or cause to be operated, run, or tested an aircraft engine which creates a noise level exceeding Table 1 of the receiving land use category measured at any place within an inhabited zone of the city.
Industrial districts in New Orleans are capped at 75 dBA (L10) at all times, with an 85 dBA peak (Lmax); stationary machinery, fans and air conditioners may not exceed the Table 1 limit of the receiving property.
New Orleans City Code Sec. 66-203(7) & Table 1
It shall be unlawful to operate or permit the operation of any stationary machinery, air-conditioners, air-handling equipment, fans, or similar devices in such a manner as to exceed Table 1 of the receiving land use categories when measured on receiving property. [Industrial: 75 L10 / 85 Lmax dBA at all times.]
City Code Table 1 caps sound at the property line: residential areas allow 60 dBA (L10) daytime and 55 dBA at night; business districts 65/60 dBA; industrial areas 75 dBA at all times.
New Orleans City Code Sec. 66-202(a) & Table 1
No person shall operate or cause to be operated any source of sound in such a manner as to create a sound level which exceeds the limits set forth for the receiving land use category in table 1. [Resident, public space: 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. = 60 L10 / 70 Lmax dBA; 10:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m. = 55 L10 / 60 Lmax dBA.]
Playing musical instruments on public rights-of-way is unlawful between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. without a permit; amplified sound in parks and recreation areas is barred when plainly audible between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m.
New Orleans City Code Sec. 66-205
It shall be unlawful for any person to play musical instruments on public rights-of-way between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. Persons may obtain a temporary permit as provided by this article.
Vehicles in motion may not exceed Table 2 limits (82 dBA for cars, 86 dBA for motorcycles at 40 mph or less, measured 50 feet away); modifying or removing a muffler to exceed these limits is prohibited.
New Orleans City Code Sec. 66-206(a)
No person shall operate a motor vehicle at any time or under any condition of grade, load, acceleration or deceleration in such a manner as to exceed the sound level limits for the category of motor vehicle shown in Table 2. The sound level shall be measured at a distance of at least 15 meters (50 feet) from the center of the vehicle path.
1 cities in Orleans Parish have their own noise ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
See every category we cover for Orleans Parish — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Orleans Parish Ordinance Hub →