Akron, OH Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Akron, OH, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Akron City Code § 132.16
- Residential quiet window
- 9:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.
- Residential audibility threshold
- Over 80 feet from property line
- Public right-of-way threshold
- Audible 100 feet from device
- First offense penalty
- Minor misdemeanor, up to $150
- Repeat/persistent offense
- 4th degree misdemeanor, up to $350, 30 days
Summary
Akron bans amplified sound from radios, speakers, and musical instruments that causes unreasonable noise likely to annoy people of ordinary sensibilities. Sound audible more than 80 feet from the source's property line between 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. in residential or U-1/U-2 zoned areas is presumed unlawful under City Code Chapter 132.
No person shall generate or permit to be generated unreasonable noise or loud sound which is likely to cause inconvenience or annoyance to persons of ordinary sensibilities by means of a radio, phonograph, television, tape player, loudspeaker or any other sound amplifying device or by any horn, drum, piano or other musical or percussion instrument.1.It is prima facie unlawful for a person to generate or permit to be generated sound by the above described devices or instruments in the following circumstances:a.On private property between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. of the following day in a predominantly residential area or from a property zoned U-1 or U-2 under Chapter 153, regardless of existing nonconforming use or variance, where the sound is audible more than eighty feet from the property line of the property on which the source of the sound is located
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 64).
Full Breakdown
in a predominantly residential area, or on land zoned U-1 or U-2 under Chapter 153 (regardless of a nonconforming use or variance), sound audible more than 80 feet from the source property's line is presumed unlawful. 10 are exempt. The rule also reaches property owners and occupants directly: subsection B makes it a separate violation for an owner, possessor, or person in control of a premises to "permit a violation of this section," so a landlord or host who lets amplified noise continue after being told to stop can be cited even if they are not the one operating the speaker.
Warning and alarm devices used to signal danger or summon police are exempt under subsection C. Akron police enforce the section; officers document the distance and time of the complaint to establish the prima facie violation before citing.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of § 132.16 is generating unreasonable noise, a minor misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $150 under § 130.99(E). If the person persists after a reasonable warning or request to desist, the offense escalates to a misdemeanor of the fourth degree, carrying up to 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $350 under § 130.99(C)(4) and (D)(4). Sound equipment installed in a motor vehicle used in a violation, along with the vehicle itself, is deemed contraband and subject to seizure and forfeiture under Ohio Revised Code §§ 2933.41 through 2933.43.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far away can my music legally be heard in Akron?
Can my landlord be cited for my loud party?
What happens if I keep playing loud music after police warn me?
Is a car stereo treated differently under this ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Akron
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