Margate, FL Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Margate, FL, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Vehicle or boat test
- Plainly audible at fifty (50) feet
- Property line test
- Plainly audible across property boundaries
- Loudspeakers
- Banned if audible at the source's property boundary
- Residential night limit
- 55 dBA, 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Exemption to comply
- Up to 15 days, renewable once
- Enforcing agency
- Margate Police Department
Summary
Section 33-79 of the Margate Code bans radios, instruments and sound systems that are plainly audible across property boundaries, or audible at fifty feet when played from a vehicle parked on a public right-of-way, and bans exterior loudspeakers audible at the property line. Margate Police administer the noise code.
(b)Radios, television sets and similar devices. Operating or permitting the use or operation of any radio receiving set, musical instrument, television, phonograph, drum or other device for the production or reproduction of sound, except as provided for in subsection (c) below, in such a manner as to cause noise disturbance so as to disturb the peace, quiet and comfort of the neighborhood and vicinity thereof; operating any such device in such a manner as to be plainly audible across property boundaries or through partitions common to two (2) parties within a building or plainly audible at fifty (50) feet from such device when operated within a motor vehicle parked on a public right-of-way or on a public space, or within a motor boat.(c)Exterior loudspeakers. Using or operating any mechanical device or loudspeaker in a fixed or movable position exterior to any building, or mounted upon any mechanical device or loudspeaker in a fixed or movable position exterior to any building, or mounted upon any motor vehicle such that the sound therefrom is plainly audible at or beyond the property boundary of the source, or on a public way except as provided for in section 33-81.
Full Breakdown
Two subsections of section 33-79 govern amplified sound. Subsection (b) covers radios, televisions, phonographs, drums, musical instruments and any other device that produces or reproduces sound. It is unlawful to operate one so as to cause a noise disturbance that disturbs the peace, quiet and comfort of the neighborhood. It is also unlawful to operate one so that it is plainly audible across property boundaries or through partitions common to two parties within a building. A vehicle parked on a public right-of-way or public space, or a motor boat, triggers a fixed test: plainly audible at fifty (50) feet from the device.
Subsection (c) covers exterior loudspeakers, meaning any mechanical device or loudspeaker in a fixed or movable position outside a building or mounted on a motor vehicle. It is unlawful when the sound is plainly audible at or beyond the property boundary of the source, or on a public way, except as provided in section 33-81.
The code defines "plainly audible noise" in section 33-76 as noise whose information content is unambiguously communicated to the listener, such as understandable spoken speech, comprehension of whether a voice is raised or normal, or comprehensible musical rhythms. A listener does not need a meter for this test. Separately, section 33-82 sets decibel ceilings by district: residential 55 dBA from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. and 60 dBA from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., commercial-agricultural 60 and 65 dBA, and industrial 65 and 70 dBA, measured with a sound level meter on the A weighting scale under section 33-86.
The noise control program is administered by the Margate Police Department (section 33-77). A noise source owner who shows good cause can get an exemption from the city manager for up to fifteen days, renewable once for another fifteen days (section 33-81), and a public event that would violate the code needs permission from the city commission for a specific location, time and date (section 33-90).
Violations & Fines
Violations are punished under section 1-8: a fine up to $500 and up to 60 days' imprisonment, or a civil citation that carries a $5 technology fee, with a $500 maximum civil penalty if contested. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate violation. Contested citations go to the city's special magistrate procedure.
Frequently Asked Questions
How loud can music be from a car in Margate?
What does plainly audible mean under the Margate noise code?
Can I use an outdoor loudspeaker at a party in Margate?
Who enforces noise complaints in the City of Margate?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Margate
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