Montgomery, AL Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)

Sec. 18-175(b), part of chapter 18's noise division, makes it unlawful to operate or play a radio, stereo system, musical instrument, or similar device that produces or reproduces sound from a motor vehicle or by a pedestrian in a manner plainly audible to anyone other than the operator at a distance of 25 feet. The same 25-foot line applies whether the source is a car parked at a stoplight or a person walking with a portable speaker. Sec. 18-175(a) excludes any act already prohibited by the section from the special events department's noise permit process, so turning up a car stereo cannot be authorized in advance.

Audibility is judged by ordinary hearing under Sec. 18-174(a)(2): an officer does not need to identify specific words or use a meter, and bass alone, if it carries 25 feet, is enough. Violations fall under the division's general penalty in Sec. 00, with each day of continued violation charged as a separate offense. Because most amplified-music-from-a-vehicle complaints are single, momentary events rather than continuing conditions, officers typically issue one citation per stop rather than accumulate multiple daily counts, unlike the recurring lawn equipment or nightclub violations elsewhere in the same division.