Alachua County, FL Filming & Production: Production Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing standard
- Title 11, ch. 110, incorporated by § 402.153(d)(5)
- Residential daytime limit
- 60 dBA, § 110.04(a) Table I
- Residential nighttime limit
- 55 dBA, § 110.04(a) Table I
- Amplified sound rule
- Not audible beyond 50 ft. of property line, § 110.03(b)
- Enforcement
- Alachua County Sheriff's Office, § 110.08
- Penalty
- Second-degree misdemeanor, § 110.06
Summary
A film production in unincorporated Alachua County must keep on-set sound within the county's general noise ordinance. Section 402.153(d)(5) requires filming permits to comply with the decibel limits in Title 11, Chapter 110, which caps daytime residential noise at 60 dBA and nighttime residential noise at 55 dBA.
(5)Noise control. Compliance with standards in Title 11, Chapter 110 of this Code. ... Sec. 110.04. - Noise control measurement standards. (a)Noise generated across real property lines. The noise from any activity or from any permissible use of property within the applicable zoning district classifications of Alachua County shall be deemed to be excessive, unnecessary, offensive and unusually loud if the total noise level as measured on the A-scale due to both ambient noise, and the alleged source of the unnecessary, offensive or excessive noise, exceeds the noise levels which are herein prescribed in table I.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 63).
Full Breakdown
153(d)(5) conditions every temporary filming permit on 'noise control. Compliance with standards in Title 11, Chapter 110 of this Code,' folding the county's general noise ordinance directly into the filming permit. Chapter 110 measures noise as the A-weighted sound level exceeded ten percent of the time (L10) at the real property line. ); commercial and business zones are capped at 65 dBA daytime and 60 dBA nighttime, while industrial, manufacturing, and agricultural zones are capped at 75 dBA around the clock. 03(b) separately bans a radio, sound amplifier, or similar device, which reaches a production's PA system or playback speakers, from being 'plainly audible at a distance of 15 meters (50 feet) or more away from the real property line' in a commercial, industrial, or residential area, or on the public right-of-way. 12. 05 exceptions, a production gets no automatic exemption from any of these limits.
Violations & Fines
A production that exceeds the noise standards in Chapter 110 is guilty of a second-degree misdemeanor under Section 110.06, punishable under Florida Statutes Sections 775.082 and 775.083, and the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, the primary enforcement agency under Section 110.08, issues a warning followed by a notice of violation if the noise isn't abated within a reasonable time. Because Section 402.153(d)(5) makes Chapter 110 compliance a condition of the filming permit itself, a sustained noise violation can also trigger the permit-suspension procedure in Section 402.153(c)(3), halting the shoot.
Frequently Asked Questions
What decibel limit applies to a film shoot in a residential neighborhood?
Can a production run generators or lighting equipment overnight?
Who enforces the noise limit on a film set?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alachua County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Alachua County to another location·View the Florida filming & production overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.