Fort Lauderdale, FL Noise from Specific Sources: Bar & Nightclub Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Citation
- Fort Lauderdale Code § 17-7(1)(d)
- Mon-Thu daytime cap
- 85 dBA / 95 dBC until midnight
- Weekend late-night cap
- 70 dBA / 80 dBC to 3 a.m.
- Early-morning floor
- 65 dBA / 75 dBC after curfew
- Measured
- 5 feet from building or complainant's line
- Penalty
- up to $500 fine or 60 days jail
Summary
Bars and nightclubs inside Fort Lauderdale's Special Entertainment Overlay District get their own numeric noise ceiling: up to 85 dBA/95 dBC daytime and evening, stepping down after midnight (1 a.m. on weekends) and again after 2-3 a.m., measured five feet from the building or at a complaining neighbor's property line.
d.Special entertainment overlay district. When measured at a distance of five (5) feet from the building, structure or establishment from which the sound is emanating and when taken from the complainant's property line (when there is a complainant):i.Sound shall not exceed:1.Eighty-five (85) dBA or ninety-five (95) dBC Monday through Thursday from 12:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. the following day:2.Seventy (70) dBA or eighty (80) dBC Monday through Thursday from 12:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.3.Sixty-five (65) dBA or seventy-five (75) dBC Monday through Thursday from 2:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.ii.Sound shall not exceed:1.Eighty-five (85) dBA or ninety-five (95) dBC Friday through Sunday and legal holidays (as provided by state law), from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. the following day:2.Seventy (70) dBA or eighty (80) dBC Friday through Sunday and legal holidays (as defined by state law), from 1:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.3.Sixty-five (65) dBA or seventy-five (75) dBC Friday through Sunday and legal holidays (as defined by State law), from 3:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 67 Update 1 | Unified Land Development Code: Supplement 58 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Fort Lauderdale carves out a separate, more permissive numeric standard for bars, clubs and entertainment venues inside the Special Entertainment Overlay District under section 17-7(1)(d), rather than applying the general plainly-audible test that governs residential amplified sound elsewhere in the same section. The measurement point is five feet from the building or establishment emitting the sound, or the complainant's property line when there is a complaint. until noon. to noon. Both the dBA and dBC readings are tracked together because C-weighted measurement, defined in section 17-1, captures the low-frequency bass that A-weighting can miss, so a venue with a thumping bassline can violate the dBC threshold even while it stays under the dBA cap.
Noise control officers, including police and code enforcement, can measure and cite a venue for exceeding either number, and the standard was most recently amended by Ordinance No. C-25-27 in June 2025.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the Special Entertainment Overlay District's dBA/dBC ceilings is punished under the Code's general penalty, section 1-6: up to a $500 fine, up to 60 days in jail, or both, and each day a venue continues to exceed the limit is a separate violation. A venue can be cited for breaching either the dBA or the dBC number even if the other reading stays within limits.
Frequently Asked Questions
How loud can a Fort Lauderdale nightclub be?
Why does the bar noise rule track two different decibel numbers?
Does the weekend curfew for bar noise start later than weekdays?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fort Lauderdale
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Fort Lauderdale to another location·View the Florida noise from specific sources overview
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How other cities in Broward County handle bar & nightclub noise.