West Bloomfield, MI Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)

Section 16-29, enacted by Ord. No. 105-A on July 21, 1986, is West Bloomfield's numeric sound limit for community parks. It reaches any musical instrument, radio, record or tape player, loudspeaker, public address system, or "sound amplifying equipment of any kind," and sets the ceiling at 75 decibels measured on what the Code calls the "seventy (70) db scale" at a distance of fifteen feet from the sound source. A person operating equipment above that level needs a written permit from the township first; the same permit process that Section 16-23 uses for large gatherings over fifty persons commonly covers amplified sound for a concert or event in the same application.

The section has a second, independent trigger that does not depend on a decibel reading at all: sound of any level that disturbs or annoys the peace and good order of the community park is unlawful even with a permit or even below 75 decibels, so a technically compliant reading is not a complete defense if the sound is otherwise disruptive. The rule applies across the parks defined in Section 16-16, including Bloomer Park, Sylvan Manor Park, Bloomfield Knolls Park, West Bloomfield Community Sports Center Park and Marshbank Park.

Chapter 16 sets no unique fine for a Section 16-29 violation, so it defaults to the Code's general penalty in Section 1-10: a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail and/or a $500 fine, with each day of a continuing disturbance potentially charged as a separate offense. West Bloomfield police enforce the limit on site with sound-level readings taken at the specified fifteen-foot distance.