Wauwatosa, WI Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)
Amplified music rules in Wauwatosa, 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
- Governing section
- Section 7.46.030, Chapter 7.46 Noise
- Covered locations
- Public streets and aircraft
- Exemptions
- Churches, government, emergency, parade permits
- Penalty
- $1 to $5,000 forfeiture, Section 1.12.010
- Adopted
- Ord. O-03-9, 2003
Summary
Wauwatosa Municipal Code Section 7.46.030 bars using or operating any voice-amplification or sound-reproducing device on a public street or from an aircraft, and separately bans excessive vocal, bell, gong or horn use to advertise a trade or sale. Churches, government functions, emergency vehicles and permitted parades are carved out, but ordinary amplified music on a city street has no exception.
No person, firm or corporation shall use or operate, or cause to be used or operated in or upon any public street, or from any aircraft, any device, apparatus or instrument for the amplification of the human voice or any sound or noise, or other sound-making or sound reproducing device. No person, firm or corporation shall make or cause to be made for the purpose of advertising or announcing his vocation or presence, or in connection with the buying or selling of any goods, wares, merchandise, services, or anything whatsoever, or with the carrying on of any trade, occupation, vocation or profit making activity, an immediate or excessive use of the voice, or of any bell, gong, horn, instrument, article or device. ... Violation of this section in connection with any license or permit issued by the city may be cause for the revocation thereof.
Full Breakdown
46 Noise, adopted by Ord. O-03-9 in 2003 and carried forward from the city's 1970s prior code. Its first prohibition reaches any device, apparatus or instrument that amplifies the human voice or any sound, whether operated on a public street or from an aircraft, without a decibel test: possession and use on the street is itself the violation. Its second prohibition targets commercial use of the voice or of a bell, gong, horn, instrument or device to advertise a vocation, or to buy or sell goods, wares, merchandise or services.
The code lists five specific exceptions to both prohibitions: church broadcasting of music during religious services or holidays, sounds incidental to a governmental function or government contract, sounds incidental to an authorized emergency vehicle, equipment specifically authorized under the Wisconsin Statutes, and sound equipment used incidental to an authorized street use or parade permit. 030's street-specific ban does not apply. 46 was last generally amended by Ord. O-18-17 in 2018.
Violations & Fines
Unless a chapter section sets its own penalty, Section 7.46.150 routes violations of Chapter 7.46 to the general penalty at Section 1.12.010: a forfeiture of not less than one dollar nor more than five thousand dollars per offense, rising to a minimum of twenty-five dollars for a repeat conviction, with each day of a continuing violation charged as a separate offense. If the amplification occurs in connection with a city license or permit, Section 7.46.030 also allows the city to revoke that license or permit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a portable speaker or bullhorn on a Wauwatosa street?
Are churches allowed to play amplified music?
What happens if a licensed business amplifies sound in violation of this section?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wauwatosa
Compare Wauwatosa to another location·View the Wisconsin noise ordinances overview
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Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Milwaukee County handle amplified music & outdoor sound.