Amplified music rules in Springfield, IL — also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances — set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Springfield City Code section 98.05 bars playing any radio or sound-reproducing device on the public way or in a vehicle on the public way if it is clearly audible to a person with normal hearing more than 75 feet away, with fines starting at $250 and vehicle impoundment for repeat offenses.
Springfield enforces amplified-sound limits through a clear-audibility standard rather than a decibel meter. Section 98.05(a) prohibits playing, using, or operating 'any radio, tape recorder, cassette player or other device for receiving broadcast sound or reproducing recorded sound' on the public way, or in any motor vehicle on the public way, 'if the sound generated by the device is clearly audible to a person with normal hearing at a distance greater than 75 feet.' Exceptions exist for permitted special events under Chapter 110 and for authorized emergency vehicles. Penalties escalate: section 98.05(b) sets a minimum fine of $250 for a first offense, $500 plus possible impoundment for a second within 24 months, and $750 plus possible impoundment for a third or subsequent. Off the public way, loud amplified music inside a residence or yard is reached by the general nuisance standard in section 98.01(a).
First offense: minimum $250 fine. Second within 24 months: minimum $500 and vehicle subject to impoundment. Third or subsequent: minimum $750 and impoundment (Sec. 98.05(b)-(c)).
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