Battle Creek, MI Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)

The City Commission of Battle Creek, Calhoun County, Michigan, sets two separate tests for amplified sound in § 652.07(b)(2). The first is a volume test: a television, radio, phonograph, cassette player, compact disc player, tape recorder or any other electronic sound producing or sound amplifying device, fixed or portable, or any musical instrument whether amplified or not, cannot be played louder than is necessary for the convenient hearing of the voluntary listeners in the room, building or chamber where it is operating. The second is a distance test. If the sound is plainly audible at twenty-five feet between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. of the following day, or at fifty feet between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., that fact is prima-facie evidence of a violation. The distance test applies in any area, inside or outside of the dwelling, building or vehicle where the equipment sits, so a backyard speaker and a living room stereo are measured the same way.

Paragraph (b)(10) adds a separate ban on using any drum, loudspeaker, amplifier or other instrument or device for the purpose of attracting attention for any purpose. All of this sits under the general prohibition in § 652.07(a), which bars any unreasonable noise that unreasonably annoys or disturbs the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of others within the City, and the list in subsection (b) is expressly not exclusive.

Subsection (c) carves out specific exceptions. Reasonable use of stationary amplifiers in noncommercial public addresses is exempt. Christmas music and chimes through stationary amplifiers need a permit issued upon the authority of the City Commission, and the permit must name the hours and dates of use. A commercial-area amplifier permit requires a City Commission finding that the music contributes to the amenities of the commercial area and is not audible in any residential area. Sounds tied to an authorized school activity are exempt, and an event open to the public with a special event permit can carry a waiver of the prima facie distances, but only for the time shown on that permit.