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Evansville, IN Noise from Specific Sources: Bar & Nightclub Noise (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Covered use
Bars and restaurants named explicitly
Persistence threshold
15 minutes continuous/intermittent
Measured at
Real property line
Enforcing agencies
Evansville Police Dept., Evansville EPA

Summary

Evansville's noise chapter names commercial districts, including bars and restaurants, as both regulated sound sources and protected receiving property, banning unreasonable sound that persists 15 minutes after a request to stop.

(2) Commercial districts (including, among others, bars and restaurants); ... No person shall cause, suffer, allow, or permit the operation of any source of sound on any source property listed in EMC 9.30.020(A) in such a manner as to create an unreasonable sound that persists continuously or intermittently for a period of at least 15 minutes, and continuing to do so after being asked to stop, when observed at or within the real property line of any of the receiving properties.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance G-2026-12, passed June 22, 2026).

Full Breakdown

EMC 9.30.020 lists commercial districts, expressly including bars and restaurants, among the property districts covered as both sound sources and receiving properties under the noise chapter. EMC 9.30.050(B) then bars any person from operating a sound source in a way that creates an unreasonable sound that persists continuously or intermittently for at least 15 minutes and continues after the operator is asked to stop, measured at the real property line of the affected property. There is no separate decibel table for nightlife venues; the general unreasonable-noise standard governs.

Violations & Fines

First violation is a formal written warning; second $50; third $150; fourth $500; fifth and subsequent violations $500 to $7,500 plus an order to cease using the noise-making device.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a decibel limit specifically for Evansville bars?
No fixed dB number for bars. EMC 9.30.050(B) instead bans unreasonable sound persisting 15+ minutes after the source is asked to stop.
Who enforces bar noise complaints in Evansville?
EMC 9.30.030 gives both the Evansville Police Department and Evansville Environmental Protection Agency authority to investigate and cite violations.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Evansville

Fence Regulations: Height LimitsSome RestrictionsParking Rules: RV & Boat ParkingSome RestrictionsHVAC & Mechanical NoiseLight RestrictionsCar Alarm LimitsFew RestrictionsGenerator NoiseFew RestrictionsLow-Frequency Bass LimitsSome RestrictionsNoise Ordinances: Aircraft NoiseSignificant RestrictionsParking Rules: Towing & Impound RightsSignificant RestrictionsParking Rules: EV ChargingFew RestrictionsFence Regulations: Fence Permit RequirementsSome Restrictions

All Evansville rules

Compare Evansville to another location·View the Indiana noise from specific sources overview

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