Springfield, OR Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)

Springfield Municipal Code § 5.220(3)(f) singles out automatic and electric pianos, phonographs, radios, loudspeakers, stereos, and any other sound-amplifying device as a per se noise violation under two separate tests. The first, subsection (f)(i), is violated the moment the sound is plainly audible inside any dwelling, church, business, day care center, or school other than the one where the device sits, so a stereo audible through a shared wall or across a property line already qualifies. The second, subsection (f)(ii), applies on public property or a public right-of-way and sets a fixed 150-foot distance: sound plainly audible from a device 150 feet or more away on public property is a violation unless the government that owns or controls that property has specifically authorized it in writing.

The ordinance defines 'plainly audible' broadly in subsection (1) as any sound a listener can clearly hear with unaided hearing, expressly including musical rhythms, engine noises, and spoken words even if the words themselves are not clearly discernible, so the test is what a listener can hear, not a measured decibel level. Subsection (4)(g) carves out sound-amplifying equipment at athletic events sponsored by a school district, a registered or accredited educational institution, or the city itself. The Springfield Police Department enforces the section, and subsection (5) caps the penalty at a fine not exceeding $720.00 under SMC section 1.205 for a violation of either the indoor-audibility or the 150-foot public-property standard.