Carver County, MN Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Carver County, MN, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 91.06(C)(1)
- Amplified sound
- needs Board/Director authorization or permit
- Standard
- disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivity
- Factors weighed
- 9 listed in § 91.06(C)(2)
- Enforced by
- Carver County Sheriff's Office
- Penalty class
- misdemeanor under § 91.99
Summary
Carver County bars anyone from running a loudspeaker, sound truck, or amplified music system inside a county park without Board or Director authorization, and separately bans any noise, amplified or not, that disturbs other park visitors.
(a) Install, use, or operate within the park a loudspeaker or sound amplifying equipment in a fixed or movable position or mounted upon any sound truck for the purposes of giving instructions, directions, talks, addresses, lectures, or transmitting music to any persons or assemblages of persons in or upon any place within the park; (b) Use or operate, or permit the use or operation of any radio, tape player, phonograph, television set, music amplifier, or other machine or device for the production or reproduction of sound in a manner as to be disturbing or a nuisance to reasonable persons of normal sensitivity within the area of audibility;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-20: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 111-2025, passed 7-25-25).
Full Breakdown
06(C)(1)(a). 06(C)(1)(c). 06(C)(2) lists nine factors deputies weigh to decide whether noise crosses the line: its level and intensity, whether it is usual or unusual, background noise, the type of area, how intensely the area is used, the time of day or night, duration, and whether it is recurrent, intermittent, or constant. 04(B). The rule applies to county park property; it does not set noise limits for private property or the rest of unincorporated Carver County, which falls under separate nuisance provisions.
Violations & Fines
Operating amplified sound equipment without authorization, or making noise that disturbs other park visitors under § 91.06(C), is a misdemeanor under § 91.99, tied to Minn. Stat. § 398.34 and § 609.02(3). Deputies enforcing under § 91.10(A) can eject the violator and issue a citation on the spot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I bring a speaker to play music at a county park picnic?
Is there a decibel limit for park noise in Carver County?
What happens if my music disturbs other park visitors?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Carver County
Compare Carver County to another location·View the Minnesota noise ordinances overview
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