Bonner County, ID Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Bonner County, ID, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Distance trigger
- Heard outside the vessel from 200 or more feet
- Who is covered
- Operators of vessels on Bonner County waters
- Enforced by
- Bonner County Sheriff's Department
- Classification
- Infraction
- Safety exception
- System used to request assistance or warn of a hazard
- Companion limits
- 90 decibels (pre-1995 motorboats), 88 decibels (1995 and later)
Summary
In unincorporated Bonner County, Idaho, section 3-108 D makes it unlawful for a vessel operator to run a sound amplification system, including radios and portable music devices, that can be heard outside the vessel from two hundred (200) or more feet on Bonner County waters. The Sheriff's Department enforces it and a violation is an infraction.
A. Applicability: ... The requirements of this section shall apply to the operation of any watercraft upon public waters, and shall be enforced by the Bonner County Sheriff's Department. ... D. Sound Amplification Systems: It is unlawful for any operator of a vessel to cause, operate, or permit the operation of, any sound amplification system to include but not limited to items such as radios, compact disc players or attached portable music devices which can be heard outside of the vessel from two hundred (200) or more feet when the vessel is being operated on Bonner County waters, unless that system is being operated to request assistance or warn of a hazardous situation. 1. Exceptions: This section shall not apply to any motor driven watercraft being operated under emergency conditions or by any authorized agent of any law enforcement agency of the State of Idaho, or the United States of America, or any political subdivision, while said agent is acting in the performance of his duties, or any aircraft which is landing or taking off on the water. E. Violation: A violation of this section shall constitute an infraction.
Full Breakdown
Bonner County Revised Code § 3-108 is the Noise section of Title 3, Public Waters, and its sound amplification rule is aimed at vessels, not at land. Subsection A sets the reach: the section applies to the operation of any watercraft upon public waters and is enforced by the Bonner County Sheriff's Department. That means the marine patrol side of the Sheriff's office, on Lake Pend Oreille, the Pend Oreille River and the other county waters, is the enforcing agency.
Subsection D is the amplification rule. It is unlawful for any operator of a vessel to cause, operate, or permit the operation of any sound amplification system, to include but not limited to radios, compact disc players or attached portable music devices, which can be heard outside of the vessel from two hundred (200) or more feet when the vessel is being operated on Bonner County waters. The standard is distance, not a decibel meter: if the sound carries two hundred (200) or more feet from the vessel, the system is over the line. The operator is responsible whether the operator personally runs the system or permits someone else aboard to run it.
There is a safety carve-out. A sound system operated to request assistance or warn of a hazardous situation is not covered. Paragraph D.1 also exempts any motor driven watercraft operated under emergency conditions or by an authorized agent of a law enforcement agency of the State of Idaho, the United States of America or any political subdivision while the agent is performing his duties, and any aircraft landing or taking off on the water.
The same section carries separate engine-noise limits. Subsection B sets ninety (90) decibels for motorboats manufactured before January 1, 1995, and eighty eight (88) decibels for motorboats manufactured on or after that date, and subsection C bars altered mufflers and muffler cutouts or bypasses. Those limits are measured in decibels; the amplified-music rule is not.
Subsection E closes the section: a violation is an infraction.
Violations & Fines
Under section 3-108 E, a violation of the sound amplification rule constitutes an infraction. The section does not print a dollar amount, so any fine is set outside this section. The Bonner County Sheriff's Department enforces it on county waters. A system used to request assistance or warn of a hazardous situation is excepted, as are emergency operations and law enforcement agents acting in their duties.
Frequently Asked Questions
How loud can music be on a boat on Lake Pend Oreille?
Is a violation a crime or a ticket?
Does this rule cover music at a house or campsite?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bonner County
Compare Bonner County to another location·View the Idaho noise ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.