Clark County, IN Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 90.04(B)(3)
- Audibility threshold
- 50 feet from source
- First offense fine
- $25
- Repeat offense fine
- up to $100
- Payment deadline
- 30 days to County Auditor
- Enforcing agency
- County Sheriff / Commissioners
Summary
Clark County's noise ordinance bans sound audible 50 feet from its source, but Section 90.04(B)(3) carves out burglar alarms and other warning devices, including car alarms, as long as they are properly installed and the cause of the alarm is investigated and shut off within a reasonable period of time.
No person shall play, use or operate, or permit to be played, used or operated, any machine or device for the producing or reproducing of sound...if such machine, device or vehicle is located in or around any of the following: ... (2) Any private property, and the sound generated therefrom is clearly audible by another person at a distance of 50 feet or more outside of said private properly line. ... (B) The following are exempted from the provisions of this section: ... (3) Burglar alarms and other warning devices when properly installed, providing the cause for such alarm or warning device sound is investigated and said alarm turned off within a reasonable period of time;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2019 S-0: Code: Local legislation current through Ordinance 31-2014, passed 12-18-2014).
Full Breakdown
04(A) makes it unlawful to operate any sound-producing machine or device, including a motor vehicle, if the resulting noise is clearly audible to another person at 50 feet or more from public property or across a private property line. Subsection (B) lists fourteen exemptions from that ban, and (B)(3) specifically covers burglar alarms and other warning devices, a category that includes a triggered car alarm, provided the device was properly installed and the cause of the alarm sound is investigated and turned off within a reasonable period.
An alarm that keeps sounding well past that window loses its protection and falls back under the general 50-foot rule. 04. The ordinance traces to Ord. 11-2004, passed July 29, 2004, and applies countywide, including the unincorporated areas the county code governs directly.
Violations & Fines
A citation under Section 90.04 carries a $25 fine for a first offense, $50 for a second, and $100 for a third or subsequent offense, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense. Fines are payable to the County Auditor at the City-County Building in Jeffersonville within 30 days of the citation. Anyone who denies the violation or misses that deadline is cited into County Superior Court No. 3 for a hearing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Clark County ban car alarms outright?
What happens if my car alarm won't stop going off?
Where do I pay a noise citation in Clark County?
Can I contest a car alarm noise citation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clark County
Compare Clark County to another location·View the Indiana noise from specific sources overview
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