Sarasota, FL Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)

Section 20-4(a)(2)f, part of the City of Sarasota's Sound Control Ordinance (Chapter 20), classifies an exterior fire or burglar alarm, including a motor vehicle burglar alarm, as unreasonable sound if it is not automatically silenced within 15 minutes of activation. and is exempt from the 60-second cap. Enforcement runs through the 'officer' defined in Sec. 20-3, meaning any City of Sarasota code enforcement officer or sworn Sarasota Police Department officer. That officer must first issue a warning specifying a reasonable time to comply; Sec. 20-8 presumes 15 minutes is reasonable absent special circumstances.

If the alarm is not silenced in that window, or the same violation recurs within 90 days, the responsible person is charged under Sec. 20-9. Uncontested fines run $250 for a first violation, $1,000 for a second within 12 months, and $2,000 for a third, due within 10 days of the notice. Contested violations go before the city's special magistrate, who must impose $750 to $1,000 for a first offense and $3,500 to $5,000 for a second, up to $15,000 if the magistrate finds the violation irreparable or irreversible, though the magistrate may set a lower fine on a proven showing of financial hardship.

Both the person controlling the alarm and the vehicle's or premises' owner can be held jointly and severally liable under Sec. 20-9(d). A contested citation is heard by the special magistrate under Sec. 20-9(b) on a preponderance-of-the-evidence standard, and that decision can be further appealed to the circuit court for Sarasota County by petition for writ of certiorari.