Cheektowaga, NY Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)

L. No. 2-2002), makes it unlawful to sound or permit the sounding of any exterior alarm on a building or motor vehicle unless it terminates within 15 minutes of activation. The chapter's general prohibition, § 166-4, separately bans unnecessary noise that is physically annoying or injurious to residents' peace and comfort, and § 166-6B expressly exempts alarms defined in § 166-5M from the chapter's Table I decibel limits, so the 15-minute rule, not a decibel reading, is the operative standard for alarms. Enforcement runs through the Building Inspection Department, the Police Department, or the Dog Warden, who under § 166-12 may issue court appearance tickets.

Section 166-9A(5) carves out a narrow exception for emergency alarms, such as fire or burglar alarms, before the owner or tenant has a reasonable opportunity to silence them, so a homeowner is not cited the instant an alarm trips, only if it keeps sounding past that reasonable window and past the 15-minute mark. Because Cheektowaga is a town, § 166-5M applies only outside the incorporated Villages of Depew and Sloan, which enforce their own codes. Violators face the penalty set in § 166-13: a fine of up to $250, imprisonment up to 15 days, or both, with the property owner separately liable and each day of a continuing violation counted as a distinct offense.