Monroe County, FL Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Monroe County, 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
- Governing sections
- Monroe County Code §§ 17-129, 17-130(e)
- Customary sleeping hours
- 10 p.m.-8 a.m. (11 p.m. Fri/Sat)
- Soundproofing trigger
- live entertainment/amplified sound during sleeping hours
- First-offense fine
- $250.00
- Subsequent-offense fine
- $500.00
- Extra penalty
- business tax receipt may be revoked
Summary
In the unincorporated Florida Keys (Monroe County), Sec. 17-129 defines amplified sound to cover radios, DJ and stereo equipment, microphones and loudspeakers, and Sec. 17-130(e) requires any commercial venue playing live entertainment or amplified sound during customary sleeping hours to be fully enclosed and soundproofed.
A-weighted sound level means the sound level as measured with the A-weighting network on a sound level meter meeting the standards set forth in the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) S1.4-1983 or its successors. The unit of reporting is dBA. ... Amplified sound means the reproduction of sound from any radio, stereo, CD player, DVD player, microphone, drum, turn table, audio or visual equipment, musical instrument, sound equipment, sound amplification device, television set, exterior loudspeakers, bullhorn or any similar device. ... (e)Any commercial structure or property that provides live entertainment or amplified sound, including any portable structure or vehicle of any type, shall be fully enclosed and soundproofed whenever such live entertainment or amplified sound is provided during customary sleeping hours. No person shall, during customary sleeping hours, make, continue or cause to be made any live entertainment or amplified sound in or on such commercial structure or property except within a fully enclosed and soundproofed structure.
Full Breakdown
Monroe County's noise article, Chapter 17, Article IV, defines amplified sound broadly in Sec. 17-129 as the reproduction of sound from any radio, stereo, CD or DVD player, microphone, drum, turntable, audio or visual equipment, musical instrument, sound equipment, sound amplification device, television, exterior loudspeaker or bullhorn, or any similar device. on New Year's Eve. Sec. 17-130(e) then applies those definitions: any commercial structure or property, including a portable structure or vehicle, that offers live entertainment or amplified sound must be fully enclosed and soundproofed whenever that entertainment or sound runs during customary sleeping hours, and no one may produce live entertainment or amplified sound on that property during those hours except inside a fully enclosed, soundproofed structure.
The subsection carves out a narrow exception: noise that briefly escapes when an access door opens is not automatically a violation of the soundproofing rule itself, though if that escaping noise otherwise meets the disturbing-noise test it still violates Sec. 17-130(b). 'Soundproof' is defined in Sec. 17-129 as any building configuration sufficient to keep live entertainment or amplified sound from becoming unreasonable noise inside any residence or, for nonresidential neighbors, beyond 200 feet of the property boundary.
Violations & Fines
Under Sec. 17-134, a citation for violating the soundproofing requirement carries a $250.00 fine for a first offense and $500.00 for a subsequent offense, and the special magistrate or a court may revoke the business tax receipt of a commercial entity found in violation twice or more. The operator or owner of the sound source's premises is liable, and joint operators are jointly and severally liable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a bar play amplified music late at night in the Keys?
What counts as 'amplified sound' under the ordinance?
What's the penalty for skipping the soundproofing requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Monroe County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Monroe County to another location·View the Florida noise ordinances overview
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