Bloomington, IL Noise from Specific Sources: Generator Noise (2026)

Bloomington's noise ordinance, City Code § 28-194 (Ch. 28, Sec. 107, as amended by Ordinance No. 2024-083 on November 12, 2024), addresses generator and mechanical-equipment noise in Subsection D(5). until dark, when the operation causes noise due to the explosion of operating gases, fuels, or fluids and the noise is loud and raucous enough to be heard across the property line of the property where it originates. A portable generator running overnight at a residence or job site, or a contractor's power fan left running after dark, falls squarely within this language.

The section carves out two exceptions: it does not apply to snow blowers and other snow removal machinery, nor to landscaping operations conducted on golf courses, so those uses are not restricted to daylight hours. The broader Subsection C prohibition backs up D(5) by making any loud and raucous noise from a location a person owns or controls unlawful, and Subsection B's definition covers sound that, by volume, duration or nature, disturbs the comfort, peace or safety of reasonable persons in the city, regardless of source.

Enforcement can rest on testimony from neighbors who heard the generator or on a sound-level meter reading exceeding the 70 dB(A) property-line standard set in Subsection E. The Bloomington Police Department handles complaints, and Subsection G's penalty applies: a fine of not less than $100 for a first offense and not less than $250 for each later offense, with every day of continued operation treated as a separate violation, which matters for a generator left running across multiple nights.