Fond du Lac County, WI Noise from Specific Sources: Bar & Nightclub Noise (2026)

Chapter 38's noise ordinance, Sec. 38-173, opens with a general rule that any unreasonably loud, disturbing or unnecessary noise that disturbs the public peace and welfare is prohibited in unincorporated Fond du Lac County, then lists specific violations, including subsection (b)(3): using a public address system to amplify sound of any nature in a manner or with a volume that annoys or disturbs the quiet, comfort or repose of persons in any office, hospital, hotel or other residence, or of persons in the vicinity generally.

A bar or nightclub that runs music, a DJ, or announcements through outdoor or open-door speakers loud enough to disturb a neighboring residence or business falls squarely within this subsection. The ordinance sets no specific decibel meter reading; instead it uses a disturbance standard that a deputy applies at the scene, based on whether the sound actually annoys or disturbs people nearby. Enforcement runs through the Sheriff's Office, which can issue a citation under the county's Uniform Municipal Citation procedure in § 1-9. Every violation of § 38-173, including the PA-system prohibition, is punishable under the county's general penalty section, § 1-8, so an operator who runs an unreasonably loud PA system risks a forfeiture even without a prior warning.

Because the county has no separate noise-permit or special-event exception written into this section, an outdoor concert or amplified event at a rural venue is judged by the same disturbance standard as any other PA use.