Okaloosa County, FL Noise from Specific Sources: Low-Frequency Bass Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- § 11-102 (definition), § 11-104(b)
- Pure tone reduction
- Sound limit cut by 5 dBA
- Effective daytime limit
- 55 dBA for pure-tone/bass sources
- Effective nighttime limit
- 50 dBA for pure-tone/bass sources
- Low frequency band covered
- 160 Hz down to 125 Hz or below
Summary
Okaloosa County does not regulate bass or low-frequency sound as its own category, but Code of Ordinances Sec. 11-104(b) tightens the standard for it: any 'pure tone' source, defined by Sec. 11-102 to include sounds concentrated in low center frequencies down to 125 Hz and below, must meet a sound level limit five dBA lower than the ordinary 60/55 dBA daytime/nighttime standard.
Pure tone means any sound which can be distinctly heard as a single pitch or a set of single pitches. For the purposes of measurement, a pure tone shall exist if the one-third octave band sound pressure level in the band with the tone exceeds the arithmetic average of the sound pressure levels of the two contiguous one-third octave bands by 5 dB for center frequencies of 500 Hz and above and by 8 dB for center frequencies between 160 and 400 Hz and by 15 dB for center frequencies less than or equal to 125 Hz. [...] (b)For any source of sound which emits a pure tone, the sound level limits set forth above shall be reduced by five dBA.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 11-102 defines a 'pure tone' technically: a one-third octave band sound pressure level that exceeds the arithmetic average of the two neighboring one-third octave bands by 5 dB at center frequencies of 500 Hz and above, by 8 dB between 160 and 400 Hz, or by 15 dB at center frequencies of 125 Hz or below, the range that covers heavy subwoofer bass. Sec. 11-104(b) applies that definition directly to the county's numeric noise standard: for any source of sound which emits a pure tone, the sound level limits set forth above shall be reduced by five dBA.
That means a bass-heavy source measured at a residential property line must stay under 55 dBA by day and 50 dBA at night, five dBA below the ordinary 60/55 dBA limits Sec. 11-104(a) sets for other sound. Sec. 11-106 still governs how a violation is measured, sound above the reduced limit for more than ten percent of a measurement period of at least ten minutes, and Sec. 11-108 allows the planning and zoning board of adjustment to grant a variance from Sec. 11-104 on the same terms as any other zoning variance.
Violations & Fines
A stereo, subwoofer or sound system whose output tests as a pure tone under Sec. 11-102's frequency-band definition is held to the reduced 55 dBA daytime and 50 dBA nighttime limit rather than the ordinary 60/55 dBA standard, and exceeding it for more than ten percent of a ten-minute measurement period is a violation of Sec. 11-106, enforced the same way as any other noise complaint. Sec. 11-108 is the only avenue for relief, a variance from the county's planning and zoning board of adjustment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Okaloosa County have a stricter rule for bass-heavy noise?
How does the county decide if a sound counts as a pure tone?
Is bass noise a separate ordinance category in Okaloosa County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Okaloosa County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Okaloosa County to another location·View the Florida noise from specific sources overview
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