Billings, MT Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Billings, MT, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Weeknight cutoff (outside CBD)
- 9:00 p.m. Sun-Thu
- Weekend cutoff (outside CBD)
- 10:00 p.m. Fri-Sat
- Downtown/EBURD cutoff
- 10-11 p.m.
- Waiver limit per site
- 4 per year outside CBD
- Governing section
- Billings Code Sec. 17-104
Summary
Amplified outdoor events in Billings must shut down by 9 p.m. on weeknights outside downtown (11 p.m. downtown on weekends) unless the city grants a waiver, under Sec. 17-104 of the noise chapter.
Unless granted a waiver from the times listed below pursuant to section 17-107, non-emergency outdoor events exempted from noise level regulations pursuant to section 17-105 shall conclude in accordance with the locations and times listed below:
Central Business District (CBD) and East Billings Urban Renewal District (EBURD):
Ten (10) O'clock p.m. Sunday Through Thursday.
Eleven (11) O'clock p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Outside the Central Business District and East Urban Renewal District:
Nine (9) O'clock p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
Ten (10) O'clock p.m. Friday and Saturday.
(Ord. No. 19-5728, § 3, 12-9-19)
Editor's note— Ord. No. 19-5728, §§ 3, 4, adopted Dec. 9, 2019, renumbered the former §§ 17-104—17-107 as §§ 17-105—17-108 and enacted a new § 17-104 as herein set out. The historical notations have been retained with the amended provisions for reference purposes.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 66 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Outside downtown, amplified outdoor music and events must wrap up by 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Inside the Central Business District and East Billings Urban Renewal District, the curfew shifts later: 10 p.m. weeknights, 11 p.m. weekends. These hours apply to non-emergency outdoor events otherwise exempt from the chapter's numeric noise limits (65 dB(A) day / 55 dB(A) night in residential zones under Sec. 17-103). Organizers who want to run later must obtain a waiver from the city administrator under Sec. 17-107, capped at four per location per year outside the CBD/EBURD.
Violations & Fines
Violating the noise chapter is a municipal infraction with civil penalties under Sec. 18-1304; each day of violation is a separate offense, and persistent noise can be abated as a public nuisance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can outdoor concerts run past the curfew in Billings?
Do downtown venues get more time for live music?
What noise limit applies without an event waiver?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Billings
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