Gainesville, FL Noise from Specific Sources: Low-Frequency Bass Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Covered devices
- Radios, amplifiers, subwoofers, audio equipment
- Bass standard
- Rhythmic reverberating bass alone is sufficient proof
- Audible distance
- Clearly heard 200 feet from property line
- Officer requirement
- Direct line of sight and hearing to source
- Maximum fine
- $500 per offense (Code § 1-9)
- Repeat violation
- Equipment confiscation after third conviction
Summary
Gainesville bans radios, sound amplifiers and other audio equipment that create a noise disturbance across a property line under Code § 15-3(d)(2), and lets officers confirm bass-heavy noise by ear alone: Section 15-5(b)(4) says a 'rhythmic bass reverberating' sound is enough to prove a plainly audible violation.
(2)Radios, televisions, electronic audio equipment, musical instruments or similar devices. No person shall operate, play or permit the operation or playing of any radio, tape player, television, electronic audio equipment, musical instrument, sound amplifier or other mechanical or electronic soundmaking device that produces, reproduces or amplifies sound in such a manner as to create a noise disturbance across a real property boundary. ... The official need not determine the particular words or phrases being said or produced or the name of any song or artist producing the noise or sound. The detection of a rhythmic bass reverberating type of noise or sound is sufficient to constitute a plainly audible noise or sound.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 63).
Full Breakdown
Section 15-3(d)(2) makes it unlawful to operate, play, or permit the operation of a radio, tape player, television, electronic audio equipment, musical instrument, sound amplifier, or similar device in a way that produces, reproduces, or amplifies sound so as to create a 'noise disturbance' across a real property boundary. A noise disturbance under Section 15-2 is sound that either exceeds Chapter 15's decibel tables or is 'plainly audible,' meaning clearly heard by someone with normal hearing at 200 feet or more from the property line.
' That means a subwoofer's low-frequency thump alone, heard from 200 feet away by an officer's unassisted hearing, can support a citation even if no lyrics are intelligible. Officers must have a direct line of sight and hearing to the source to confirm it under Section 15-5(b)(2). Enforcement otherwise follows the standard warning-then-citation process in Section 15-6, and violations carry the Section 1-9 penalty of up to $500 and 60 days in jail, with repeat sound-emitter offenses risking confiscation of the equipment under Section 15-7(b).
Violations & Fines
Officers do not need to identify a song or lyrics to cite a violation: § 15-5(b)(4) makes a rhythmic, reverberating bass sound alone sufficient proof of a plainly audible noise disturbance. A written warning issues first under § 15-6(a)(1), then a citation on noncompliance or recurrence, carrying the § 1-9 penalty of up to $500 and 60 days in jail; a third conviction on the same equipment allows the court to order it confiscated under § 15-7(b).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get cited for bass noise even if the words aren't clear?
What counts as a noise disturbance from a stereo in Gainesville?
What happens if I keep getting cited for a loud sound system?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gainesville
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Gainesville to another location·View the Florida noise from specific sources overview
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