East Honolulu, HI Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in East Honolulu, HI, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Code Section
- HRS 342F-31.5; ROH 41-6.1
- Nighttime bass limit
- 60 dBC (50 dBC near residential)
- Public device rule
- Not audible 30 ft away (ROH 41-6.1)
- Nighttime
- 10:00 p.m. - 7:00 a.m.
Summary
Hawaii's state bass-noise statute (HRS 342F-31.5) deems nighttime bass sound over 60 dBC (50 dBC near residential or mixed-use areas) to exceed the maximum permissible nighttime level. Locally, the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu make it unlawful to operate a sound-reproducing device on public property or a vehicle so that it is audible 30 feet away.
(b) In any urban land use district, a sound level of more than sixty decibels for bass sound (using the dBC weighting system), measured at a complainant's site, shall be deemed to exceed the maximum permissible sound at nighttime; provided that, where the complainant's site is within or in close proximity to an area zoned mixed-use or residential, the maximum permissible sound at nighttime shall be fifty decibels dBC. (c) For purposes of this section: "Nighttime" means the time between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
Amplified music and bass are addressed both by state statute and by the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu (ROH) that apply to East Honolulu. 5 directs the Department of Health to use both the dBC and dBA measurement systems and provides that, in any urban land use district, a bass-sound level (dBC weighting) of more than sixty decibels measured at a complainant's site is deemed to exceed the maximum permissible sound at nighttime; where the complainant's site is in or close to a mixed-use or residential area, the nighttime maximum is fifty decibels dBC.
, and county liquor commissions and the department may enforce nighttime dBC levels in urban districts. 1, prohibits playing or operating any radio, tape player, or other sound-reproducing device on public property or on a vehicle on a public street if the sound is audible at a distance of thirty feet from the device.
Violations & Fines
State bass-noise violations are enforced through HAR 11-46 penalties (up to $10,000 per day under 11-46-16) and by county liquor commissions for establishments; ROH 41-6 sound-device violations are petty misdemeanors/citations under the Honolulu code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a bass / loud music limit at night?
Can I play a speaker in a park or on the street?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in East Honolulu
Compare East Honolulu to another location·View the Hawaii noise ordinances overview
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