Dearborn, MI Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Dearborn, MI, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Downtown, day, commercial
- 75 dB(A) max
- Downtown, Night 1, residential
- 60 dB(A) max
- Absolute blackout
- 2:00 a.m.–8:00 a.m.
- Applies to
- East & west Dearborn downtown
Summary
Outdoor music in Dearborn's downtown business districts is capped on a decibel grid that varies by time of day AND by the receiving property's land use, 65 dB(A) daytime at a residential boundary but 75 dB(A) at a commercial one, and is banned outright between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m.
No outdoor music shall be provided in the downtown business districts which causes the noise level when measured at or within the real property boundary line of the receiving land use to exceed: ... Residential — Day / Night 1 / Night 2: Downtown District 65 dB(A), 60 dB(A), 55 dB(A); Non District 60 dB(A), 55 dB(A), 55 dB(A). ... Commercial — Day / Night 1 / Night 2: Downtown District 75 dB(A), 70 dB(A), 60 dB(A); Non District 65 dB(A), 60 dB(A), 60 dB(A). ... No outdoor music shall be performed or played between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-07: Code: Updated through: July 22, 2026 | Zoning: Updated through: July 22, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 13-44A sets separate noise limits for outdoor music in the east and west Dearborn downtown business districts, measured at the receiving property line. Limits vary by day, 'Night 1' (12 a.m.-2 a.m. Thu-Sat and holidays), and 'Night 2' (the remaining overnight hours), running from 55 dB(A) up to 75 dB(A) for commercial daytime downtown locations. No outdoor music may play at all between 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., and measurements follow Dearborn Police Department policy.
Violations & Fines
Citation from the Dearborn Police Department for exceeding the applicable time-and-zone decibel limit, or for playing outdoor music during the 2 a.m.-8 a.m. blackout window.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 'Night 1' vs 'Night 2'?
Does the citywide nighttime device ban also apply downtown?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dearborn
Compare Dearborn to another location·View the Michigan noise ordinances overview
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Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wayne County handle amplified music & outdoor sound.