Ocala, FL Noise from Specific Sources: Low-Frequency Bass Limits (2026)

Rather than setting a bass-specific decibel threshold, the Ocala Code of Ordinances builds its noise enforcement around the 'plainly audible' standard defined in Section 34-172. That standard requires a sound clearly heard by an officer above the ambient noise, using normal hearing not enhanced by any microphone or hearing aid device, at a required distance set elsewhere in the article for the relevant noise category, such as 50 or 100 feet from a real property line depending on time of day and zoning. The section then specifically addresses low, rhythmic sound: if a noise is musical or produced by sound amplification equipment, the officer does not have to identify the particular words, the song, or the artist.

The Code gives the example that the detection of a rhythmic bass without recognition of supporting frequencies is sufficient, meaning a thumping bassline heard through walls or across a property line, even without discernible lyrics or melody, satisfies the audibility test on its own. Before making that call, the officer must have a direct line of sight to the noise source, the property line, or the vehicle involved, so the required distance can be measured accurately rather than estimated. This bass-detection standard applies across every noise category the article defines: residential daytime and nighttime noise, nonresidential noise, downtown entertainment area noise, and public right-of-way and public space noise, each of which sets its own audible distance and time window under Section 34-172.