Chattanooga, TN Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Chattanooga, TN, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Advertising sound limit
- 60 dB(A) at ROW/park boundary
- Personal-use night limit
- 50 dB(A), 50 ft from speaker
- Permit issuer
- Chief building official
- Base fine
- $50 citation per violation
Summary
Chattanooga caps amplified advertising sound at 60 dB(A) measured at the nearest public right-of-way or park boundary, targeting loudspeakers and PA systems businesses use to draw in customers.
(4)Operate or allow the operation of any sound amplification equipment for advertising purposes or otherwise to attract customers so as to cast sounds which are unreasonably loud and disturbing or which register more than sixty (60) dB(A) at or on the boundary of the nearest public right-of-way or park.(5)Operate or allow the operation for personal use of any sound amplification equipment on the public right-of-way, including streets or sidewalks, or in the public parks so as to produce sounds registering more than sixty (60) dB(A) fifty (50) feet or more from any electromechanical speaker between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., or fifty (50) dB(A) fifty (50) feet or more from any electromechanical speaker between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m.(b)(1)For entities possessing a Downtown Amplified Music District Permit in the designated Downtown Amplified Music District, it shall be unlawful to emit sound in excess of the following limits as measured at the property line of the business producing the sound averaged over one (1) minute: Time (Monday — Thursday) Sound Level Limit dB(A) Sound Level Limit dB(C) 3:00 a.m. — 11:00 a.m. 55 70 11:00 a.m. — 11:00 p.m. 80 90 11:00 p.m. — 3:00 a.m. 65 80
Time (Friday — Sunday) Sound Level Limit dB(A) Sound Level Limit dB(C) 3:00 a.m. — 11:00 a.m. 55 70 11:00 a.m. — 12:00 a.m. 80 90 12:00 a.m. — 3:00 a.m. 65 80
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 40 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 25-69(a)(4) makes it unlawful to operate sound amplification equipment for advertising or to attract customers if the sound is unreasonably loud and disturbing or registers more than 60 dB(A) at or on the boundary of the nearest public right-of-way or park. A companion clause, § 25-69(a)(5), caps personal-use amplification on streets, sidewalks, and in parks at 60 dB(A) daytime and 50 dB(A) at night, measured 50 feet from the speaker. A business that needs to exceed the limit can apply to the chief building official for a permit under § 25-71.
Violations & Fines
Violations bring a $50 citation plus up to a $500 civil penalty per offense under § 25-74; a venue that won't lower its levels can be closed until its next normal opening time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Chattanooga business use a loudspeaker to advertise?
Is a permit available for louder advertising sound?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chattanooga
Compare Chattanooga to another location·View the Tennessee noise ordinances overview
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