Alachua County, FL Noise from Specific Sources: Bar & Nightclub Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Audibility threshold
- Plainly audible 50 feet from property line
- Covers
- Radios, amplifiers, PA systems, live music
- No meter needed
- Specific prohibition, not a decibel test
- Enforcing agency
- Alachua County Sheriff's Office
- Penalty
- Second-degree misdemeanor or Ch. 162 citation
Summary
Bars, nightclubs and other commercial venues in unincorporated Alachua County may not play music, use sound amplifiers or run PA systems so loudly that the sound is plainly audible 50 feet beyond the property line. Section 110.03(b) of the noise-control code makes this a standalone violation, enforced by the Sheriff's Office regardless of the decibel reading.
(b)Radios, televisions, electronic audio equipment, musical instruments, and similar devices.(1)The use, operation or playing of any radio, television, phonograph, stereo set, tape player, sound amplifier, musical instrument or similar device which produces or reproduces sound in a manner as to be plainly audible at a distance of 15 meters (50 feet) or more away from the real property line of the source of the sound, to any person in a commercial, industrial, or residential area, or public space.(2)The operation or playing of any radio, musical instrument, or similar device which produces sound on the public right-of-way in such a manner as to be plainly audible to any person at a distance of 15 meters (50 feet) from the source of the sound.
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
03(b)(1) prohibits operating any radio, television, phonograph, stereo set, tape player, sound amplifier, musical instrument or similar device so that it is 'plainly audible' 15 meters (50 feet) or more from the real property line of the source, to any person in a commercial, industrial, or residential area, or public space, language that squarely covers a bar or nightclub's speakers, DJ booth or live band bleeding sound onto the sidewalk or into a neighboring lot. 03(b)(2) adds a parallel prohibition for sound projected onto the public right-of-way.
01(o): the complainant's own unaided hearing is sufficient, they must have a direct line of sight and hearing to the source, and, notably for music venues, they need not identify the song or artist; a rhythmic bass reverberation carrying through a wall is enough to establish the violation. 04. A commercial venue that stays under the numeric dBA limits in Table I can still be cited under this section if patrons or amplified music are plainly audible past the 50-foot line.
Violations & Fines
A violation of the amplified-sound prohibition is a second-degree misdemeanor under Section 110.06, punishable per Fla. Stat. §§ 775.082 and 775.083, and can also be processed as a civil citation under Fla. Stat. Ch. 162. The Sheriff's Office may issue a warning first and a notice of violation if the noise is not abated within a reasonable time, per Section 110.08(c).
Frequently Asked Questions
How loud can a bar's music be in unincorporated Alachua County?
Does 'plainly audible' mean a deputy has to identify the song?
Can a venue be cited even if it's below the Table I decibel limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alachua County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Alachua County to another location·View the Florida noise from specific sources overview
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