Boone County, IN Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)

Boone County Code § 92.03(B)(2), enacted by Ord. 2007-14 (passed 7-16-2007), targets radios, televisions, musical instruments and other sound-producing or sound-reproducing electronic devices. The rule bars operating any of them at a volume louder than necessary for convenient hearing by the people actually inside the room, vehicle or chamber where the device sits, tying the standard to the listener rather than to a decibel meter. Between midnight and 7:00 a.m., the ordinance adds a presumption: if the sound from that set, instrument or device is plainly audible in the immediate vicinity of the building, structure or vehicle housing it, that audibility alone is prima facie evidence of a violation, so a complainant does not have to prove the volume was unreasonable by any other measure during those hours.

The provision sits under the chapter's general prohibition on noise that is unreasonably loud, injurious to health, indecent, offensive, or an obstruction to the free use of property (§ 92.03(A)). Enforcement runs through the Boone County Sheriff's Office, which under § 92.06 may inspect sources of noise and enter private property on probable cause, though entry into a structure needs consent or a county court warrant. Section 92.99 requires a verbal warning before any citation; a subsequent or continuing violation after the warning is punishable by a court-set fine of up to $250, or $100 if paid at least seven days before the hearing date.

The exceptions in § 92.05, for authorized events, sporting events and ordinary business, agricultural, and aircraft/airport/train noise, do not shield a stereo or speaker played too loud for neighbors to bear.