Plano, TX Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Plano, TX, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Weeknight curfew
- 10:00 p.m. Sun.–Thurs.
- Weekend curfew
- 11:00 p.m. Fri.–Sat.
- Decibel ceiling
- 70 dBA or 75 dBC
- Measurement point
- restaurant property perimeter
- Exception
- none within 300 ft of pre-existing residence
- Governing section
- Code of Ordinances § 14-89(a)(14)
Summary
A Plano restaurant may run amplified music or speech on its indoor or outdoor property only until 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and only while the sound stays at or below 70 dBA or 75 dBC at the property perimeter, under Code of Ordinances § 14-89(a)(14).
(14)The noise is generated by a restaurant, as defined in Section 1.04 of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code, that limits the use of amplified sound for the playing of music and amplifying human speech within the restaurant's indoor and outdoor property boundaries to ensure:a.The amplified sound is not produced after 10:00 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 11:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday; andb.The amplified sound level does not exceed 70 dBA or 75 dBC when measured at the restaurant's property perimeter, excluding traffic and other background noise that can be reasonably excluded. This defense to prosecution does not apply to a restaurant on property located within 300 feet of a residence that was occupied prior to the establishment on any restaurant located on the property.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 153).
Full Breakdown
Plano regulates outdoor and indoor amplified restaurant sound as a defense to the general noise-nuisance offense in § 14-86 rather than through a separate permit. m. m. Friday and Saturday; and the sound level, measured at the restaurant's property perimeter and excluding traffic or other background noise that can reasonably be excluded, must not exceed 70 dBA or 75 dBC. The dual dBA/dBC threshold is notable, dBC weighting captures more of the low-frequency content of amplified bass and speaker output than the standard dBA scale used elsewhere in the article, so a restaurant can fail the defense on either measurement.
The defense carries a hard geographic exception: it 'does not apply to a restaurant on property located within 300 feet of a residence that was occupied prior to the establishment on any restaurant located on the property,' meaning restaurants that opened near a pre-existing home get no protection at all regardless of decibel level. 7. The rule was enacted with the article's rewrite, Ordinance No. 2025-8-3, effective August 11, 2025.
Violations & Fines
A restaurant that amplifies music or speech past its curfew (10:00 p.m. weeknights, 11:00 p.m. weekends), exceeds 70 dBA or 75 dBC at its property perimeter, or sits within 300 feet of a residence occupied before the restaurant opened loses the § 14-89(a)(14) defense entirely. The resulting noise is prosecutable under § 14-86, punishable under § 14-91.8 by a fine of up to $500 per day, escalating for repeat offenses within three years.
Frequently Asked Questions
How late can a Plano restaurant play amplified outdoor music?
What decibel level applies to restaurant patio music in Plano?
Why does the ordinance use dBC as well as dBA?
Does the restaurant music defense apply near older homes?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Plano
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Plano to another location·View the Texas noise ordinances overview
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Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Collin County handle amplified music & outdoor sound.