Amplified music rules in Fort Lauderdale, FL — also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances — set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Section 17-7(1) bars amplified sound from residential property that is plainly audible for one minute or longer at 25 feet from the property line (10 p.m.-7 a.m.) or 50 feet (7 a.m.-10 p.m.). Commercial/mixed-use amplified sound is capped at 60 dBC (noon-10 p.m.) and 55 dBC (10 p.m.-noon) inside a complainant's premises.
Fort Lauderdale Code Section 17-7(1) regulates amplified sound - defined in Section 17-1 to include radios, stereos, CD/DVD players, microphones, drums, turntables, musical instruments, exterior loudspeakers, and bullhorns. For residential use, sound must not be 'plainly audible for a period of one (1) minute or longer' at 25 feet from the source property line between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., or at 50 feet between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. From a motor vehicle or any other source in the rights-of-way, sound must not be plainly audible at 25 feet. For commercial, mixed-use, or industrial uses, amplified sound must not exceed 60 dBC (12 p.m.-10 p.m.) or 55 dBC (10 p.m.-12 p.m. the next day) when measured within a complainant's premises. In the Special Entertainment Overlay District, tiered dBA/dBC caps apply measured 5 feet from the building - up to 85 dBA / 95 dBC at peak hours (Mon-Thu noon-midnight; Fri-Sun and legal holidays noon-1 a.m.), dropping to 65 dBA / 75 dBC in the early-morning hours. The November 2024 amendment added the dBC values to crack down on low-frequency bass.
Enforced by noise control officers under Section 17-3; punishable under Section 17-2 via Section 1-6 and/or Chapter 11 penalties. Repeat or egregious amplified-sound violations draw escalating fines.
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