Las Vegas, NV Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (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.
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?
Can I test my home burglar alarm whenever I want?
What's the penalty for an alarm noise violation in Las Vegas?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Las Vegas
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