Wausau, WI Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Wausau, WI, also called sound permit, PA system, or live music ordinances, set decibel limits, time-of-day restrictions, and when permits are required.
Key Facts
- Standard
- Noise that unreasonably disturbs peace and quiet
- Loudspeaker permit
- Written Mayor's permit required, vehicle loudspeakers
- Citation deposit
- $50.00, § 1.01.025
- General forfeiture
- $10-$200 per offense, § 1.01.110
- Enforced by
- Wausau Police Department
Summary
Wausau bans any noise that unreasonably disturbs the peace and quiet of nearby residents, and specifically requires a written Mayor's permit before anyone operates a vehicle-mounted loudspeaker within city limits. Violators face a general forfeiture under Municipal Code § 9.04.030(a).
(a)No person shall make or assist in making any noise tending to unreasonably disturb the peace and quiet of persons in the vicinity thereof unless the making and continuing of the same cannot be prevented and is necessary for the protection or preservation of property or of the health, safety, life or limb of some person. No person shall operate a loudspeaker from any vehicle within the City except upon written permit issued by the Mayor upon such terms and conditions as will ensure that the public peace and said order will not be disturbed.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
04's General Offenses, prohibits making or assisting in making any noise that tends to unreasonably disturb the peace and quiet of persons nearby, unless the noise cannot be prevented and is necessary to protect property or someone's health, safety, life or limb. The same subsection separately bars operating a loudspeaker from any vehicle anywhere in the city unless the operator first obtains a written permit from the Mayor; the Mayor sets the terms and conditions of that permit to ensure the public peace and order will not be disturbed.
The section traces to the City's 2001 noise ordinance rewrite, Ord. 02(3). Because the standard is 'unreasonably disturb the peace and quiet,' Wausau police evaluate amplified-noise complaints case by case rather than against a fixed decibel number, and citations are written under the same section that separately regulates railroad whistles, exhaust noise and compression brakes. 030.
Violations & Fines
A first citation for loud or unnecessary noise, including operating an unpermitted vehicle loudspeaker, carries a $50.00 stipulated deposit under the Municipal Ordinance Schedule of Deposits, Wausau Municipal Code § 1.01.025. Absent that schedule, the general penalty under § 1.01.110 applies: $10.00 to $200.00 per offense, rising to $25.00 to $200.00 for a repeat conviction, with each day of a continuing disturbance a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a decibel limit for loud music in Wausau?
Can I drive around Wausau playing music over a loudspeaker?
What does a noise citation cost in Wausau?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wausau
Compare Wausau to another location·View the Wisconsin noise ordinances overview
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Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Marathon County handle amplified music & outdoor sound.