Jacksonville Beach, FL Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)

Section 18-7 governs businesses licensed to sell food, beverages, or alcoholic beverages. Under subsection (b)(1), any such establishment that provides low volume outdoor acoustic or amplified sound must possess the permit, and subsection (b)(4)a extends that to background music. The outdoor standards in (b)(4) set a speech-based test: sound from the outdoor dining area cannot exceed a level at which a person outside the property line, speaking in a normal tone of voice, is not plainly audible and understood over it by another person standing a maximum of thirty-six inches (36") away. Outdoor sound is limited to low volume amplified sound, low volume acoustic, low volume orchestral instruments, or low volume stringed instruments. Drums, drum machines, and sub-woofer bass speakers are prohibited, outdoor disc jockeys and amplified bands are strictly prohibited unless allowed in writing under a section 4-5 permit, all sound must originate within the property line, and rearranging outdoor seating while sound plays is prohibited.

Indoor entertainment sound cannot reach the outside confines of the building, including through open windows or doors, except entrance doors opened momentarily (less than thirty (30) seconds) for ingress and egress, unless the sound is low volume.

The application goes to the city clerk, who must issue the permit within thirty (30) days of a complete application. The fee is set by city council resolution, and the permit is renewed annually on or before the 30th day of September. Permits do not transfer on a change of ownership. Establishments within two thousand (2,000) feet of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway centerline holding an outdoor sound amplification permit are capped at 40 dB(A).

Special event permits under section 18-3(h) allow entertainment on public property between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., limited to eighty-five (85) dB(A) more than three (3) times in any continuous sixty-minute period.