Boulder, CO Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Boulder, CO, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Nighttime residential distance
- 100+ feet beyond property line bars it
- Nighttime commercial/industrial distance
- 150+ feet beyond property line bars it
- Daytime residential distance
- 200+ feet beyond property line bars it
- Night hours
- 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Who is liable
- Resident present or property owner/manager
- Penalty
- Up to $2,650 fine, 90 days jail
Summary
Boulder limits how far amplified sound may carry from the property where it originates. Under Boulder Revised Code § 5-9-6(a), amplified sound in a residential district may not be audible 100 feet beyond the property line between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., or 200 feet beyond it during the day; in a commercial or industrial district the nighttime distance limit rises to 150 feet.
(a)Unreasonable Amplified Noise:(1)Nighttime Hours: Between the hours of 11 p.m. through 7 a.m., no person shall electronically amplify any sound, or make any noise by means of any electronic amplifier, which is loud enough to be audible to a person of normal hearing:(A)One hundred or more feet beyond the property line of the property upon which the loudspeakers are located where they are located in a residential district.(B)One hundred fifty or more feet beyond the property line of the property upon which the loudspeakers are located where they are located in a commercial or industrial district.(2)Daytime Hours: Between the hours of 7 a.m. through 11 p.m., no person shall electronically amplify any sound...which is loud enough to be audible to a person of normal hearing two hundred or more feet beyond the property line of the property upon which the loudspeakers are located where they are located in a residential district.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 167 Update 3).
Full Breakdown
Section 5-9-6(a) regulates amplified sound, meaning music or noise made through an electronic amplifier or loudspeaker, by how far it travels rather than by a decibel reading. , amplified sound audible to a person of normal hearing may not carry 100 feet or more past the property line of a residential lot, or 150 feet or more past the property line in a commercial or industrial district. , the residential distance limit loosens to 200 feet; the code does not set a separate daytime distance cap for commercial or industrial property, leaving those subject to the general decibel table in § 5-9-3 during business hours.
Liability reaches beyond the person running the speakers: any resident present in a dwelling unit where a violation occurs, and any owner, manager, or event organizer in control of a commercial or industrial property where the sound originates, is independently responsible. Affirmative defenses cover emergency vehicles, horns, and alarms that self-silence within five or ten minutes, sound made under a city manager permit, and sound generated on federal, state, or county government property in connection with that government's own activity; for a charge against a resident or property controller who was not directly making the noise, it is also a defense that the person did everything a reasonable person could to stop it and cooperated with police in identifying the actual offender.
Violations & Fines
An amplified-noise violation under § 5-9-6(a) carries the general municipal penalty in Boulder Revised Code § 5-2-4: up to $2,650 and up to ninety days in jail per violation, or both. Because each resident present or each property controller can be charged, a single loud event, such as a party or outdoor concert, can produce multiple citations. Boulder Police confirm violations with a distance check from the property line.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far can music legally carry from my house in Boulder at night?
Who gets cited if a party at a rental house is too loud?
Are commercial venues held to a different amplified-sound limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boulder
Compare Boulder to another location·View the Colorado noise ordinances overview
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Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Boulder County handle amplified music & outdoor sound.