Elkhart County, IN Noise from Specific Sources: Delivery Truck Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Elkhart County Code § 94.03(B)(7)
- Trigger
- Loading/unloading noise after a termination request
- Decibel alternative
- 83 dBA at 15 feet (§ 94.03(C))
- First-offense fine
- $250 to $2,500 (§ 94.99(B))
- Responsible party
- Business owner or manager, per § 94.03(E)
- Not exempt
- Ordinary freight deliveries (see § 94.04)
Summary
Elkhart County bans unreasonably loud and excessive noise from loading or unloading a vehicle, or from opening and breaking down bales, boxes, crates and containers, once the person doing it ignores a request to stop. A truck or crew that stays audible 50 feet away, or crosses 83 decibels, is a citable violation.
The creation of an unreasonably loud and excessive noise in connection with loading or unloading any vehicle or the opening and destruction of bales, boxes, crates and containers after a termination request. The creation of any such noise in such a manner as to be plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet from the building, structure or vehicle in which it is located after a termination request shall be prima facie evidence of a violation of this division (B)(7).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-23: Supplement contains: Current through local legislation passed on or before July 31, 2025; and State Legislation current through 2025 Indiana Legislative Service, Pamphlet #3).
Full Breakdown
" The provision reaches delivery trucks, freight handlers, warehouse docks and any business or resident moving goods in the unincorporated county, and it follows the same termination-request framework as the chapter's other specific noise prohibitions: once someone asks the person creating the noise to stop, continued noise that is plainly audible 50 feet from the building, structure or vehicle where it originates is prima facie evidence of a violation. 03(C), 83 dBA measured 15 feet from the source. 04's exemption list covers only emergencies, sponsored public events, school activities, and agricultural or permitted manufacturing operations in the appropriate zoning, none of which cover ordinary freight deliveries.
03(E) puts the duty to prevent the violation on the business owner or manager whose property is the source, not solely on the driver or crew doing the loading.
Violations & Fines
A first conviction under § 94.99(B) runs $250 to $2,500, a second within two years $500 to $2,500, a third $1,000 to $2,500, and each further violation in that window $1,500 to $2,500, plus court costs. The Sheriff's Department may warn a business or driver before citing them under I.C. 34-28-5.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business be cited for noisy early-morning deliveries?
Does the county exempt commercial deliveries from its noise rules?
How is loading-dock noise measured for a violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Elkhart County
Compare Elkhart County to another location·View the Indiana noise from specific sources overview
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