Conway, AR Noise from Specific Sources: Bar & Nightclub Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing rule
- § 7.44.01(B)(2), radios/musical instruments
- Restricted hours
- 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Audibility standard
- plainly audible at 50 feet
- Fine
- $10.00-$100.00 per offense
- Enforcement
- Conway Police Department
- Dedicated bar-noise rule
- none; general chapter applies
Summary
In the City of Conway, Arkansas, a bar or nightclub that plays music loud enough to disturb neighbors, especially between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., violates Conway Municipal Code § 7.44.01(B)(2); the city treats music plainly audible fifty feet from the building as automatic proof of a violation, enforced by the Conway Police Department.
2.Radios, musical instruments, etc. The playing of any radio or musical instrument or other musical device for producing or reproducing of sound, in such a manner or with such volume, particularly during the hours between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. as to disturb the quiet or comfort of persons in any office, hospital or in any dwelling, hotel or other type of residence or of any persons in the vicinity. The operation of any such instrument, machine or device between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. in such a manner as to be plainly audible at a distance of fifty (50) ft. from the building, structure or vehicle in which it is located shall be prima facie evidence of a violation of this chapter.
Full Breakdown
Conway has no ordinance written specifically for bars or nightclubs; instead, loud music from any building, including a business, falls under the general noise chapter's radios-and-musical-instruments clause, § 7.44.01(B)(2). That section declares it a noise violation to play a radio, musical instrument or other sound-reproducing device in a manner or at a volume that disturbs the quiet or comfort of persons in an office, hospital, dwelling, hotel or other residence, or of anyone in the vicinity, particularly between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. The code sets an objective test: if the sound from the instrument, machine or device is plainly audible from fifty (50) feet away from the building, structure or vehicle where it is located during those overnight hours, that fact alone is prima facie evidence of a violation, so an officer does not need a decibel meter to cite a club for late-night bass or a live band carrying into the street.
Because the provision sits in the citywide Chapter 7.44 Noise Restrictions rather than in an alcohol-permitting or business-license title, the same fifty-foot, 11 p.m.-to-7 a.m. standard applies equally to a downtown bar, a private house party or an outdoor venue. A conviction under this chapter is a misdemeanor under § 7.44.03, and the general noise-chapter exemptions in § 7.44.02, covering city vehicles on public business, street or bridge repairs, and noncommercial public-address announcements, do not extend to commercial entertainment venues.
Violations & Fines
Violating § 7.44.01(B)(2) is a misdemeanor under § 7.44.03, punishable by a fine of not less than $10.00 nor more than $100.00 for each offense, with each night of continued loud music charged as a separate violation; the Conway Police Department responds to complaints and can cite based on the fifty-foot audibility standard alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Conway have a specific noise ordinance for bars and nightclubs?
How loud can a bar's music be after 11 p.m.?
What's the penalty for a noisy nightclub in Conway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Conway
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