Clay County, FL Noise from Specific Sources: Bar & Nightclub Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Clay County Code § 15-5(c)(3)
- Curfew hours
- Midnight to 7:00 a.m.
- Test
- Heard at establishment's own property boundary line
- Daytime status
- Exempt from residential test 7 a.m.-midnight
- Habitual civil penalty
- $250, category 10 infraction
- Parallel rule
- Percussive sound under § 15-5(e)(3), same hours
Summary
Bars and clubs in unincorporated Clay County cannot let amplified sound carry past their property line between midnight and 7 a.m. Section 15-5(c)(3) applies the boundary-line test only during those overnight hours; between 7 a.m. and midnight, alcoholic beverage establishments are exempt from the general amplified-sound rule entirely.
Prohibition as to alcoholic beverage establishment. It shall be unlawful and a violation of this subsection for a person on the premises of any alcoholic beverage establishment to make or cause or to permit if within his or her control the making or causing of any artificially amplified sound or noise between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. that is heard or capable of being heard by a person of ordinary hearing ability at any boundary line of such premises.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 86).
Full Breakdown
Clay County's disturbing-the-peace ordinance treats bars and nightclubs differently depending on the hour. and midnight. , a bar or club cannot let artificially amplified sound reach any boundary line of its own premises where an ordinary person could hear it, a stricter, easier-to-prove standard than the inside-a-residence test that applies to other properties. , boundary-line standard to percussive sound, meaning live drums or amplified percussion instruments at the venue. The owner, leaseholder, or on-site manager of the establishment is treated as responsible for the noise under (c)(5) unless a third-party patron caused it and management made reasonable efforts, including summoning law enforcement, to stop it. 083, Florida Statutes.
Violations & Fines
Amplified sound audible at a bar or club's property line between midnight and 7 a.m. is a civil infraction under section 15-20 at the nonresidential rate: $25 for a first violation, $150 for a second, and $250 for a habitual violation within 180 days. The county may instead charge it as a second-degree misdemeanor, up to $500 and 60 days in jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a bar in Clay County play loud music all night?
What counts as an 'alcoholic beverage establishment' under this rule?
Does the overnight noise curfew cover live bands, not just speakers?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clay County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Clay County to another location·View the Florida noise from specific sources overview
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