Milton, WI Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Milton, WI, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Permit required from
- Chief of Police
- Allowed hours
- 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- Revocation grounds
- Volume, method, or location as nuisance
- Commercial loudspeaker rule
- Live announcer only, no recordings
- Citation
- Milton Code § 70-4(c)
Summary
Using a loudspeaker or amplifying device on Milton's streets or in its parks requires a permit from the chief of police under Code § 70-4(c). The chief can only issue permits for use between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., and can revoke one if the device becomes a nuisance because of its volume, method, or location.
(c)Permits for amplifying devices.(1)Permit required. The use of loudspeakers or amplifying devices on the streets or in the parks of the City of Milton is prohibited unless the party desiring to use such loudspeaker or amplifying device first obtains a permit from the chief of police.(2)Grounds or reasons for denial or allowance. The chief of police shall have authority to revoke such permit when he believes such loudspeaker or amplifying device is becoming a nuisance because of the volume, the method in which it is being used or the location in which it is being operated.(3)Time restrictions. The chief of police shall not grant a permit to use a loudspeaker or amplifying device before the hours of 9:00 a.m. or after 10:00 p.m. no permit shall be granted to anyone who, in the opinion of the chief of police, uses said loudspeaker or amplifying device in such a manner or for such a purpose as to constitute a nuisance.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 21 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Milton's noise chapter treats amplified sound as a permit-gated activity rather than a flat ban. ,' and no permit issues at all to anyone who, in the chief's opinion, would use the device to create a nuisance. ' This sits alongside the chapter's broader loud-and-unnecessary-noise ban in subsection (a), and the separate rule in subsection (b)(4) for loudspeakers or sound equipment cast onto public streets for commercial advertising, which requires any announcement to be made live by a person rather than played back on a recording.
The whole section, including these permit rules, was rewritten by Ordinance No. 287 in 2009, five years after the code's 2004 base publication, so the amplified-sound framework reflects that more recent text rather than the original 2004 chapter.
Violations & Fines
Operating a loudspeaker or amplifying device on a Milton street or in a park without a police chief's permit, or outside the 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. window that permit allows, violates section 70-4. The general forfeiture for the chapter under section 70-5 applies, together with the costs of prosecution, and the chief of police can revoke a permit outright if the equipment becomes a nuisance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to use a PA system at an event in a Milton park?
Can the police revoke an amplified-sound permit after it's issued?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Milton
Compare Milton to another location·View the Wisconsin noise ordinances overview
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Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Rock County handle amplified music & outdoor sound.