10 rules for unincorporated Stark County, Ohio.
Verified from official government sources
Stark County has no general countywide noise or quiet-hours code. In Canton, amplified sound that crosses a residential property line is barred 8:00 p.m.β8:00 a.m., and any unreasonably loud noise disturbing the peace is prohibited anytime. Townships and other cities set their own rules.
Canton Cod. Ord. 509.04(b)
It shall be unlawful to use, operate or permit for any noncommercial purposes any loudspeaker, public address system, mobile sound vehicle or similar device between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. such that the sound therefrom creates a noise disturbance across a residential real property boundary.
Neither Stark County nor Canton sets specific numeric construction-hour limits. Construction noise is judged under Canton's general prohibition on unreasonably loud, disturbing noise. In unincorporated areas, townships may set construction hours through zoning resolutions under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 519.
Canton Cod. Ord. 509.03(a)
No person shall make, permit or cause to be made, any unreasonably loud, disturbing or unnecessary noise of such character, intensity and/or duration as to disturb the peace and quiet of the City.
Stark County has no standalone barking-dog noise code, but Canton lists animal noise as a prohibited nuisance: keeping any animal or bird whose frequent or long-continued noise disturbs neighbors violates Codified Ordinance 509.03. Complaints also go to the Stark County Dog Warden.
Canton Cod. Ord. 509.03(b)(2)
The keeping of any animal or bird which by causing frequent or long continued noise shall disturb the comfort and repose of any person in the vicinity.
No Stark County or Canton ordinance singles out leaf blowers or sets a leaf-blower decibel cap. Their noise is governed by Canton's general prohibition on unreasonably loud, disturbing noise, and by any township zoning limits in unincorporated areas.
Canton Cod. Ord. 509.03(a)
No person shall make, permit or cause to be made, any unreasonably loud, disturbing or unnecessary noise of such character, intensity and/or duration as to disturb the peace and quiet of the City.
Stark County sets no amplified-sound code, but Canton declares noise-amplifying devices that disturb a neighborhood a nuisance. For noncommercial use, loudspeakers, PA systems and similar devices are banned 8:00 p.m.β8:00 a.m. when sound crosses a residential boundary; commercial amplified sound on public ways is barred anytime.
Canton Cod. Ord. 509.04(a)
No person shall operate or maintain any radio, phonograph, tape player, compact disc player, loudspeaker or any noise-making device, or noise-amplifying device, in any public or private place by which the peace and good order of the neighborhood is disturbed or persons owning or occupying property in the neighborhood are disturbed or annoyed.
Aircraft noise is regulated by the federal government, not Stark County or Canton. The FAA controls flight operations and noise around Akron-Canton Airport (CAK); local ordinances cannot set aircraft noise limits. Complaints go to the airport's noise office and the FAA.
Stark County sets no industrial-noise code, and Ohio has no statewide community-noise dB standard. Industrial noise is controlled mainly by township or municipal zoning that separates industrial districts from homes, plus Canton's general nuisance-noise ordinance where the plant sits inside the city.
Canton Cod. Ord. 509.03(a)
No person shall make, permit or cause to be made, any unreasonably loud, disturbing or unnecessary noise of such character, intensity and/or duration as to disturb the peace and quiet of the City.
No. Neither Stark County nor the City of Canton uses a numeric decibel (dBA) threshold. Noise is judged by a nuisance standard ('unreasonably loud, disturbing'), and vehicle sound by a 'plainly audible at fifty feet' test rather than a meter reading.
Canton Cod. Ord. 509.05(c)
"Plainly audible" means any sound produced by a sound amplification system from within the vehicle which clearly can be heard at a distance of fifty feet or more. Measurement standards shall be by the auditory senses, based upon direct line of sight... bass reverberations are included.
Stark County has no outdoor-music code. In Canton, amplified outdoor music through loudspeakers or PA systems is prohibited 8:00 p.m.β8:00 a.m. when it disturbs across a residential boundary, and at any hour it may not disturb the neighborhood's peace and good order.
Canton Cod. Ord. 509.04(b)
It shall be unlawful to use, operate or permit for any noncommercial purposes any loudspeaker, public address system, mobile sound vehicle or similar device between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. such that the sound therefrom creates a noise disturbance across a residential real property boundary.
Canton bars vehicle sound systems 'plainly audible' 50 or more feet away, and prohibits loud exhaust discharged without an effective muffler. Stark County itself sets no separate motor-vehicle noise code; Ohio law (ORC 4513.22) also requires working mufflers statewide.
Canton Cod. Ord. 509.05(a)
No person operating or occupying a motor vehicle on a street, highway, alley, parking lot or driveway shall operate or permit the operation of any sound amplification system from within the vehicle so that the sound is plainly audible at a distance of fifty or more feet from the vehicle.
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