Citrus County, FL Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Time cap
- 15 minutes before it's a violation
- False alarms
- Independently a violation
- Emergency test cycle cap
- 60 seconds, § 21-26(11)
- Enforcing agents
- Code Compliance Division; Sheriff's Office
- Max civil penalty
- $500 per citation
Summary
A car or truck alarm can't sound unnecessarily or run past 15 minutes in unincorporated Citrus County; the county treats a prolonged or false vehicular alarm as a specific noise violation separate from its general decibel table.
(12)Fixed building or vehicular alarms. Except as permitted by subsection 21-26(11) or exempted by subsections 21-29(a) and (b), the use of fixed building or vehicular alarms unnecessarily or for an unreasonable period of time. Specifically, when sounded for false alarms or sounded for a period in excess of 15 minutes.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 76).
Full Breakdown
Citrus County Code § 21-26(12) makes it a violation to use a fixed building or vehicular alarm unnecessarily or for an unreasonable period of time, and specifically flags two triggers: sounding for a false alarm, or sounding for a period in excess of 15 minutes. , and the special-exception process at § 21-29(a)-(b), under which the county administrator can approve a limited waiver for a specific event or circumstance. A car alarm that keeps blaring after 15 minutes, or one that goes off with no actual break-in or emergency behind it, falls under this section regardless of the decibel level it reaches, since it is listed as a specific prohibition independent of the Table I noise limits at § 21-22.
Enforcement is by the Citrus County Code Compliance Division and Citrus County Sheriff's Office as designated enforcement agents under § 21-32, following the article's standard practice of a warning followed by a citation if the alarm is not silenced or the pattern repeats within 60 days.
Violations & Fines
Sounding a vehicular alarm unnecessarily or beyond 15 minutes is a civil infraction under § 21-33, carrying a maximum civil penalty of $500. A second violation of the same class doubles the scheduled penalty, and a third violation of that class requires a mandatory county court appearance under § 21-34.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can my car alarm legally sound before it's a violation in Citrus County?
Does it matter if my car alarm went off by accident rather than an attempted theft?
Who enforces the vehicle alarm noise rule where I live in unincorporated Citrus County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Citrus County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Citrus County to another location·View the Florida noise from specific sources overview
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