Flint, MI Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Flint, 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
- Sound cap
- 100 dB(A) at customer area
- Escape valve
- post hearing-damage warning sign
- Applies to
- places of public entertainment
- Private outdoor noise
- governed by § 31-72(b)(1) instead
Summary
The City of Flint caps amplified music and sound systems at places of public entertainment at 100 dB(A), unless the venue posts a hearing-damage warning sign at each entrance.
Operating, playing, or permitting the operation or playing of any radio, television, phonograph, drum, musical instrument, sound amplifier, or similar device which produces, reproduces, or amplifies sound in any place of public entertainment at a sound level greater than 100 dB(A) as read by the slow response on a sound level meter at any point that is normally occupied by a customer, unless a conspicuous and legible sign is located outside such place, near each public entrance, stating: "Warning: Sound Levels Within May Cause Permanent Hearing Impairment."
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2016 Code: Local legislation current through Ordinance 3821, passed 3-1-2012).
Full Breakdown
Under § 31-72(b)(7) of Flint's Noise Control Ordinance, operating a radio, sound amplifier, musical instrument, or similar device that reproduces or amplifies sound in any place of public entertainment above 100 dB(A), measured on a sound level meter's slow response at a point normally occupied by a customer, is a violation, unless a conspicuous sign is posted near each public entrance warning: 'Sound Levels Within May Cause Permanent Hearing Impairment.' Music amplified outside a licensed entertainment venue, such as at a private outdoor gathering, instead falls under the ordinance's general noise-disturbance rule, § 31-72(b)(1), which bars amplified sound that crosses a real property boundary and disturbs a neighbor.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding 100 dB(A) without the required warning sign is a misdemeanor under § 31-78, punishable by up to a $1,500 fine, 90 days in jail, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Flint limit how loud live or amplified music can be?
What if I'm not at a bar or venue: does the 100 dB cap still apply?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Flint
Compare Flint to another location·View the Michigan noise ordinances overview
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