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Las Vegas, NV Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Alarm cutoff
15 minutes, automatic
Covers
Building and vehicle burglar alarms
Emergency alarm testing hours
8 a.m.-6 p.m. only
Test frequency (full system)
Max once per month
Penalty
Misdemeanor, up to $1,000/6 months

Summary

Las Vegas requires every exterior burglar alarm and motor vehicle burglar alarm to shut itself off automatically within fifteen minutes of triggering, or the sounding becomes a prohibited noise disturbance under LVMC 9.16.030(O). Violating the noise chapter is a misdemeanor under LVMC 9.16.050. Fire, burglar and civil-defense alarm testing is separately limited to daytime hours under LVMC 9.16.030(N).

9.16.030 - Enumeration of prohibited noises. The following acts, among others, are declared to be noise disturbances and noises in violation of, and unlawful under, this Chapter, but this enumeration shall not be deemed to be exclusive: ...(O)The sounding or permitting the sounding of any exterior burglar alarm or any motor vehicle burglar alarm unless such alarm is automatically terminated within fifteen minutes after its activation. ... 9.16.050 - Violation-Penalty. Any person violating any provision of this Chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 61).

Full Breakdown

030 enumerates specific acts the City treats as unlawful noise disturbances, and Subsection (O) targets alarms directly: sounding or permitting the sounding of any exterior burglar alarm or motor vehicle burglar alarm is prohibited unless the alarm is automatically terminated within fifteen minutes after activation. That fifteen-minute cutoff applies to both building-mounted burglar alarms and car alarms parked or sitting anywhere within City limits, whether on a driveway, a street or a parking lot. m. Testing a single stationary emergency signaling device is capped at the same time of day for each test and a maximum sixty-second cycle; testing the complete system, including personnel response, cannot happen more than once per calendar month.

040 carve out alarms, so an alarm that resets itself after the fifteen-minute limit still violates the ordinance even if it eventually stops; the fifteen-minute clock is the legal ceiling, not a suggestion. 16 a misdemeanor. 010. Repeated false alarms from the same address can also draw code enforcement attention as a recurring noise disturbance.

Violations & Fines

An alarm that doesn't self-terminate within fifteen minutes violates LVMC 9.16.030(O) and, like any Chapter 9.16 violation, is a misdemeanor under LVMC 9.16.050. Because no enhanced fine is written into Subsection (O) specifically, the citywide general penalty in LVMC 1.24.010 applies: a fine not exceeding $1,000, imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both, with each continuing violation a separate offense under LVMC 1.24.020.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can my car alarm go off in Las Vegas before it's illegal?
Fifteen minutes. LVMC 9.16.030(O) requires any exterior burglar alarm or motor vehicle burglar alarm to terminate automatically within fifteen minutes of activation; if it keeps sounding past that, it's a prohibited noise disturbance regardless of whether the owner is present.
Can I test my home burglar alarm whenever I want?
No. LVMC 9.16.030(N) limits alarm and signaling-device testing to between eight a.m. and six p.m., caps a single device test at sixty seconds, and allows a full-system test, device plus personnel response, no more than once per calendar month.
What's the penalty for an alarm noise violation in Las Vegas?
Any Chapter 9.16 violation, including an alarm that won't shut off, is a misdemeanor under LVMC 9.16.050. Since Subsection (O) doesn't carry its own enhanced fine, the citywide general penalty in LVMC 1.24.010 controls: a fine not exceeding $1,000, imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both.

Sources & Official References

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