Amherst, NY Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Amherst, NY, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Audibility threshold
- 100 feet from source property's boundary line
- Governing section
- Amherst Code § 138-5A
- Enforcing agency
- Amherst Police Department
- Maximum penalty
- $250 fine or 15 days jail per day
- School/hospital buffer
- 500 feet under § 138-5E and § 138-5F
- Chapter rewritten
- July 21, 2014 by L.L. No. 30-2014
Summary
Amherst's noise code makes it a violation to run any sound-reproduction device, indoors or out, if the sound carries onto a residential property more than 100 feet from the source's own boundary line. Radios, speakers, PA systems and similar amplified equipment are covered under Amherst Code § 138-5A, enforced by the Amherst Police Department with fines up to $250 per day.
A. The use of any sound-reproduction device outside of a structure whereby the sound emitted from such device is audible on property being used for residential purposes at a point more than 100 feet from the real property boundary line of the property from which said noise emanates.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 138 of the Amherst Town Code, rewritten in its entirety by Local Law No. 30-2014 on July 21, 2014, treats amplified sound as an enumerated form of unreasonable noise under § 138-5. Subsection A prohibits operating any sound-reproduction device outdoors, a radio, loudspeaker, PA horn or similar equipment, if the sound is audible on a residential property more than 100 feet from the boundary line of the lot where it originates. A companion subsection, § 138-5B, extends the same 100-foot audibility test to indoor equipment whose sound projects outside the structure, so a stereo or band playing inside a garage or clubhouse is covered the moment neighbors 100 feet away can hear it.
The 100-foot line is measured from the real property boundary of the source parcel, not the complaining property, and applies regardless of the actual decibel reading; officers do not need a sound meter to cite an amplified-music violation the way they do for the stationary-source table in § 138-5P. Two related subsections tighten the rule near sensitive uses: § 138-5E bars amplified sound within 500 feet of a school, church or courthouse while in session, and § 138-5F applies the same 500-foot buffer to hospitals and nursing homes. m.
Violations & Fines
A violation of § 138-5A is punishable under § 138-8 by a fine of up to $250, up to 15 days in jail, or both, with each day of continuing amplified noise charged as a separate offense. The Amherst Police Department enforces the chapter and may cite based on the 100-foot audibility test alone, without a calibrated sound-level meter.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far does amplified sound have to carry to violate Amherst's noise code?
Does Amherst use a decibel meter to enforce amplified-music complaints?
What is the penalty for an amplified-sound violation in Amherst?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Amherst
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How other cities in Erie County handle amplified music & outdoor sound.