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

Section 4.4.13 of the Stratford Zoning Regulations, written by the Zoning Commission, governs incidental live music and entertainment at bars, restaurants and other commercial establishments in the Town of Stratford, Connecticut. The permit is administrative: Planning and Zoning staff approve it, and the Police Department and the Health Department must also approve before it issues. The approval carries the condition that matters most to neighbors, strict compliance with the Town's Noise Ordinance, Chapter 142 of the Town Code.

The applicant is given appropriate guidelines, including a summary of the applicable portions of Chapter 142. The applicant must also give the Town at least two contact numbers, not counting the business telephone number, for use in case of noise complaints. Each live music and entertainment permit is valid for one year from the date of issuance and must be renewed in the case of a change of ownership. Live entertainment is limited to the lot on which the commercial establishment is physically located and cannot impede parking or pedestrian and vehicular traffic flow, so the entertainment cannot extend beyond the establishment's own lot.

Enforcement runs through the permit itself. Failure to comply with Chapter 142 or other applicable regulations is cause for revocation of the permit. If a violation exists, Planning and Zoning staff or a commissioner can refer the applicant to the Zoning Commission for an administrative review, and at that review the Zoning Commission can suspend or revoke the live music and entertainment permit. All suspensions of the administrative permit are referred to the State of Connecticut Department of Liquor Control. The decibel limits and hours that Chapter 142 itself imposes are a separate set of Town Code rules that the permit holder must meet.