Appleton, WI Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)

Section 12-87 of the Appleton Municipal Code makes it unlawful for any person or business to use a radio or other similar electric sound amplification device so that sound emitting from it is audible under normal conditions from a distance of seventy-five feet or more. This sits inside the city's broader noise article, which opens at Section 12-77 by declaring noise a serious hazard to public health and assigning administration and enforcement jointly to the Health Department and the Police Department. Section 12-80 backs the amplification ban with numeric limits: Table I caps sound at 60 dB(A) daytime and 50 dB(A) nighttime in residential districts, 70/55 dB(A) in commercial districts and 75/70 dB(A) in industrial districts, measured on the A-weighting scale in FAST response mode at least 25 feet beyond the source property line.

Section 12-80(c) separately bars radios, televisions, music players, musical instruments or electronic sound systems from creating a noise disturbance regardless of the 75-foot test. Anyone hosting an amplified outdoor event, festival or gathering that would exceed these limits can apply to the Health Officer for a special variance permit under Section 12-83, filed at least seven days before the event with dates, hours, equipment, and a named responsible person on site; the Health Officer can waive the notice period and must decide after public notice, with appeal available to the Board of Health.