Miami-Dade County, FL Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Citation
- § 21-28(4)(a)
- Max fine
- $500 per violation
- Max jail
- 60 days
- Scope
- countywide, enforced locally
- Exempt
- brief horn used as danger warning
Summary
Sounding a car horn, alarm, or other vehicle signaling device with unreasonably loud, harsh sound, or for an unnecessary period is banned countywide under Miami-Dade's noise ordinance, unless used as a genuine danger warning.
Horns, signaling devices, etc. The sounding of any horn or signaling device on any automobile, motorcycle, bus or other vehicle on any street or public place of the County, except as a danger warning; the creation by means of any such signaling device of any unreasonably loud or harsh sound; and the sounding of any such device for any unnecessary and unreasonable period of time.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 135).
Full Breakdown
Miami-Dade County Code § 21-28(4)(a) prohibits sounding any horn or signaling device on a car, motorcycle, or bus on any street or public place except as a genuine danger warning, and separately bans a signaling device, which covers a vehicle's anti-theft alarm siren, that produces an unreasonably loud or harsh sound or that keeps sounding for an unnecessary and unreasonable period. The section applies both in unincorporated Miami-Dade (UMSA), where County Police enforce it, and inside the 34 incorporated cities, where each municipality enforces it and may adopt its own, different noise rules.
Violations & Fines
First and each offense: up to a $500 fine, up to 60 days in county jail, or both, at the court's discretion; the county's diversion program is also an option.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is honking a car horn illegal in Miami-Dade?
What if my car alarm keeps going off?
Does this rule apply in Miami or Miami Beach?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Miami-Dade County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Miami-Dade County to another location·View the Florida noise from specific sources overview
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