Ames, IA Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)

Ames does not ban amplified sound outright; instead Chapter 16 of the Municipal Code channels it through a permit. Sec. 16.6 lets anyone apply to the city manager, or a designated representative, for relief from the chapter's ordinary noise limits, and the written application must state what devices will be used, where and when they will run, the nature of the sound to be produced or amplified, how many people are expected, and who is responsible for the activity. Sec. 16.6(2) requires the permit itself to spell out those same details with reasonable specificity, and Sec.

16.6(3) directs that permits not be arbitrarily or unreasonably withheld, while distinguishing between protected lawful speech and noise with no communicative value that only disrupts residents. Sec. 16.6(4) lets the city manager attach conditions needed to limit the event's effect on the surrounding neighborhood. Once a permit issues, Sec. 16.7 sets the ceiling on how loud the amplified sound can be, on a sliding scale tied to duration: 80 dB(A) for up to 24 hours, 83 dB(A) for 12 hours, 86 dB(A) for 6 hours, 89 dB(A) for 3 hours, and 90 dB(A) for 90 minutes, measured the same way as the base noise table under Sec.

16.4(4). Running amplified sound above the permitted level, or without a permit at all when the base Sec. 16.4 limits would otherwise be exceeded, is enforced under Sec. 16.9 as a municipal infraction, $50 for a first violation and $100 for each repeat, or as a simple misdemeanor at a peace officer's discretion.