Council Bluffs, IA Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)

Council Bluffs Municipal Code § 4.50.090 treats vehicle horns, alarms, bells and similar auditory devices as regulated noise sources, not just moving-vehicle mechanical noise. Under the "Motor Vehicle Horns and Signaling Devices" provision, it is unlawful to sound any horn, bell or other auditory device on or in a motor vehicle on a public right-of-way or public space for more than one minute in any hourly period, except as a warning of danger, so a car alarm that keeps cycling after being triggered is squarely covered once it passes the one-minute mark.

A second, independent limit bars any horn or auditory signaling device that produces a sound level above 85 dBA measured at fifteen meters (fifty feet), again unless it is warning of danger. The chief building official and the Council Bluffs Police Department are the designated enforcement authority under § 4.50.040 and may issue citations directly. Violations of chapter 4.50 are treated as a nuisance under § 8.54.010, giving the city attorney discretion to pursue the matter as a municipal infraction under § 1.95 instead of a criminal misdemeanor.

Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense, which matters for a malfunctioning alarm system that a car owner does not silence promptly.