Pulaski County, AR Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Pulaski County, AR, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Prohibited devices
- Radio, stereo, music system, instruments
- Named nighttime window
- 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Daytime coverage
- General ban in 13-2(a) still applies
- Max fine
- $500, doubled per repeat
- Enforcing agency
- Pulaski County Sheriff's Department
- Area covered
- Unincorporated Pulaski County only
Summary
Playing a radio, stereo, music reproduction system, or musical instrument loud enough to disturb residents is banned county-wide in unincorporated Pulaski County, with the 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. window specifically flagged as the hours of greatest concern. Fines run up to $500, doubling per repeat.
In addition to the disturbances set forth in subsection (a) of this section, the following are specifically prohibited: the playing of any radio, stereo, music reproduction system or musical instruments in such a manner or of such volume, particularly between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., as to disturb the peace and quiet of residents; and sustained automobile engine noises in private garages or driveways. ... Any violation of this article shall be punished by a fine of not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500), double that sum for each repetition thereof. The Pulaski County Sheriff's Department shall enforce this article. This section covers only those areas of Pulaski County which are unincorporated.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
Section 13-2(b) singles out amplified and reproduced music as one of two specific acts called out under the county's general loud-noise ban in subsection (a). as the time this is particularly prohibited, meaning the rule is not strictly limited to those hours but treats nighttime play as the clearest violation. Because subsection (b) is written as an addition to, not a replacement of, the general prohibition in subsection (a), a party or outdoor speaker running during the day can still violate the ordinance if the volume or duration is detrimental to health or disturbs the public peace, even outside the named nighttime window.
The Pulaski County Sheriff's Department is the enforcing agency named in subsection (d), and the section applies only in the unincorporated area under subsection (e); amplified-music complaints from inside Little Rock, North Little Rock, Sherwood, Jacksonville or Maumelle go to that city's own police department and code instead. The ordinance dates to Ord. No. 93-OR-120, adopted December 22, 1993, and sits in Chapter 13's general Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions article alongside the county's firearms-discharge and curfew rules.
Violations & Fines
A violation of the amplified-music prohibition is punished under Section 13-2(d) by a fine of not more than $500.00 for a first offense, with the fine doubling for each repetition, up to $1,000.00 per repeat violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be cited for loud music during the day in Pulaski County?
What is the penalty for playing loud music in unincorporated Pulaski County?
Does the county's amplified-music rule apply inside Little Rock?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pulaski County
Compare Pulaski County to another location·View the Arkansas noise ordinances overview
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