Lee's Summit, MO Noise from Specific Sources: Bar & Nightclub Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Sound cap
- 85 dba, slow response, at customer location
- Applies to
- bars, nightclubs, places of public entertainment
- Exception
- posted hearing-impairment warning sign at entrances
- Hours covered
- at all times, no overnight-only limit
- Enforcing agency
- Police Department Noise Control Officer
- Maximum penalty
- $500 fine or 90 days jail
Summary
Lee's Summit caps recorded and amplified music inside bars, nightclubs and other places of public entertainment at 85 dba measured where customers normally stand, under City Code Sec. 17-254(B)(9). Venues that exceed the limit must post a hearing-impairment warning sign at every public entrance or face a Police Department noise citation.
9.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, or amplifies sound in any place of public entertainment at a sound level greater than eighty-five (85) dba 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: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 55 | Unified Development Ordinance: Supplement 15).
Full Breakdown
Section 17-254(B)(9) singles out any place of public entertainment, covering bars, nightclubs, live-music venues and similar businesses that play or amplify sound through a radio, phonograph, drum, musical instrument, sound amplifier or similar device. The cap is 85 dba, read on the slow response setting of a sound level meter at any point that is normally occupied by a customer, meaning the measurement is taken on the dance floor or at the bar, not just at the front door. " Without that sign, any reading above 85 dba where a customer stands is a violation, regardless of the time of day; the cap applies at all hours, not just overnight.
This is a separate, business-specific limit from the general receiving-land-use table in Sec. 17-256, which caps commercial property at 65 dba measured at the property line: the entertainment-venue rule instead measures sound where patrons are actually exposed to it, inside the building. The Noise Control Officer, appointed by the Chief of Police under Sec. 17-253, can enter and test sound levels with the owner's consent or a warrant if a complaint is filed, and repeated readings above 85 dba without a warning sign posted can support a citation each night the venue operates.
Violations & Fines
A violation is prosecuted under Sec. 17-259 and punished under the Code's general penalty, Sec. 1-13(A): up to a $500 fine, up to 90 days in jail, or both, with each day of operation above 85 dba without a warning sign a separate offense. Municipal Court fines are capped under RSMo 479.353 at $200 for a first offense, rising to $275, $350 and $450 for repeat violations within twelve months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Lee's Summit bar play music louder than 85 decibels?
Where is the sound level measured inside a nightclub?
Does the 85 dba entertainment cap replace the general commercial noise limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lee's Summit
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