Norwalk, CT Noise from Specific Sources: Low-Frequency Bass Limits (2026)

Chapter 68's definitions section, § 68-3, defines 'Plainly Audible' sound as anything an investigator can detect with unaided normal hearing, and specifically uses bass to illustrate the standard: when the source under investigation is a portable or vehicular sound amplification or reproduction device, detecting the rhythmic bass component of the music is enough to establish a violation, and the investigator need not identify the song's title, lyrics, or artist. That standard matters because § 68-4D lets the Noise Control Administrator skip a sound-level-meter reading entirely when a loud amplification device is plainly audible at 100 feet.

Vehicle-mounted systems get their own rule in § 68-7B: no sound-amplifying device or equipment on or within a motor vehicle or recreational vehicle may emit noise exceeding the decibel levels set elsewhere in the chapter, and § 68-7C puts enforcement in the hands of the Noise Control Administrator (the Mayor, Chief of Police, and Director of Health or their designees). Portable, nonvehicular speakers used in public spaces face their own plainly-audible distance test under § 68-5C(3): not audible beyond 50 feet during daytime hours or 25 feet at night. Loudspeakers and sound-reproduction systems generally are barred from creating a 'Noise Disturbance' under § 68-8A.