Columbia County, FL Noise from Specific Sources: Bar & Nightclub Noise (2026)

Columbia County's noise control article, Ord. No. 2020-07, codified at Chapter 74, Article V, applies to all sound originating in the county outside the municipal limits of the City of Lake City, per Section 74-102, which reaches the Town of Fort White as well as the unincorporated county. Section 74-100 states the article's purpose of protecting the peace and quiet of residents from loud and raucous noise, and Section 74-101 finds that such noise degrades the environment, interferes with comfortable enjoyment of property, and harms health and welfare.

Section 74-104 sets the general prohibition on unreasonably loud noise that disturbs persons of ordinary sensitivity, and lists factors for judging unreasonableness, including proximity to sleeping areas, zoning, time of day, duration, and whether the sound is recurrent. Section 74-105 then lists per se violations. Subsection (o), covering commercial establishments adjacent to residential property, targets bars, nightclubs and similar businesses directly: unreasonably loud and raucous noise from the premises, including any outdoor area under the establishment's control, is a violation if it occurs between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. and is plainly audible at a distance of five feet from any residential property.

Section 74-108 gives the county sheriff primary enforcement responsibility, including the option of a warning before a citation, and protects speech-related gatherings from immediate citation. Section 74-109 makes any violation of Article V a civil infraction, punishable by a fine up to $500.00, with each day, or each separate occurrence, treated as its own offense.