Flint, MI Noise from Specific Sources: Bar & Nightclub Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Flint City Code § 31-72(b)(7)
- Threshold
- greater than 100 dB(A)
- Compliance path
- post hearing-warning sign at entrances
- Applies to
- places of public entertainment
Summary
Flint lets places of public entertainment like bars and nightclubs play amplified sound above 100 dB(A) only if they post a hearing-impairment warning sign at every public entrance.
(7) Places of public entertainment. Operating, playing, or permitting the operation or playing of any radio, television, phonograph, drum, musical instrument, sound amplifier, or similar device which produces, reproduces, or amplifies sound in any place of public entertainment at a sound level greater than 100 dB(A) as read by the slow response on a sound level meter at any point that is normally occupied by a customer, unless a conspicuous and legible sign is located outside such place, near each public entrance, stating: Warning: Sound Levels Within May Cause Permanent Hearing Impairment.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2016 Code: Local legislation current through Ordinance 3821, passed 3-1-2012).
Full Breakdown
Flint City Code § 31-72(b)(7) singles out 'places of public entertainment', venues such as bars and nightclubs, allowing them to operate sound equipment at a level greater than 100 dB(A), measured on the slow response of a sound level meter at any customer-occupied point, only if a conspicuous, legible sign is posted outside near each public entrance warning 'Sound Levels Within May Cause Permanent Hearing Impairment.' Without that signage, exceeding 100 dB(A) is a violation. This sits within Article II's broader noise-disturbance scheme (§§ 31-70 through 31-73).
Violations & Fines
Operating above 100 dB(A) in a place of public entertainment without the required warning sign violates § 31-72(b); the general Flint Code penalty of up to $500 and/or 90 days applies absent a specific penalty for this subsection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Flint bar play music louder than 100 dB(A)?
Is there a hard decibel cap for nightclubs in Flint?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Flint
Compare Flint to another location·View the Michigan noise from specific sources overview
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