New Britain, CT Noise from Specific Sources: Bar & Nightclub Noise (2026)

Sec. 21-20(b) of the Code of Ordinances singles out business establishments for a nighttime noise curfew: operating between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. in a way that creates loud and disturbing noise of a frequency or volume that annoys or disturbs the quiet and comfort of a neighborhood, or particularly the quiet, comfort, peace or repose of people in a dwelling, hotel or boarding house, is prohibited outright during those hours. A bar or nightclub whose music, crowd noise, or outdoor patio activity carries into a residential block after 11:00 p.m. falls squarely under this clause, independent of the property-line decibel table the city set later in Sec.

16-105 for Class A, B and C noise zones. This is the original 1970-era street-noise chapter (Code 1970, § 20-22; amended by ordinance of Dec. 1981) and it sits in Chapter 21, Streets, Sidewalks and Public Places, not the 1996 Noise Control Ordinance in Chapter 16, so a New Britain Police Department officer can cite it directly on a late-night disturbance call without measuring sound levels. No specific fine is written into Sec. 21-20, so the Code's general penalty provision, Sec. 1-15, applies: a fine of up to $150.00 for the first day, with each additional day the establishment continues the violating conduct treated as a separate offense at $150.00 apiece, and the corporation counsel may also seek abatement of the underlying condition.

Sec. 21-20(a) separately bans outcries, horn-blowing, bell-ringing and singing in any street or public square, which can also reach patrons queuing or leaving a nightclub. Repeated violations can also draw scrutiny from the Licenses, Permits and Inspections office when the establishment's liquor or business license comes up for renewal.