West Palm Beach, FL Noise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (2026)

Outside the city's three special entertainment districts, using a loudspeaker, sound amplifier, boom box or bullhorn on any public right-of-way or public space is flatly prohibited under § 34-36(b)(9)b whenever it creates a noise disturbance, whether the complaint comes from a residential, commercial or public property. On private property, § 34-36(b)(9)a bars playing a radio, TV, stereo or other sound device louder than needed for the voluntary listeners actually present. Inside the Clematis Waterfront District Conservation District, the CityPlace District and the Northwood Village District, § 34-37 replaces those general rules with the only noise standards that apply to bars, restaurants, cabarets and performance venues playing live or recorded music.

Measured ten feet from the building or property line, sound may not exceed 85 dBA/95 dBC in the Clematis and CityPlace areas or 65 dBA/75 dBC elsewhere in the Downtown Master Plan. , and 65 dBA/75 dBC in the early morning hours. Enforcement of those decibel caps began 30 days after the September 19, 2022 effective date of Ordinance No. 5018-22, with the city offering technical assistance during that window. A separate 100-foot amplified-sound buffer applies around any signed Quiet Zone health care facility under § 34-40, and temporary permits for special events or construction that cannot otherwise comply are available under § 34-42.

Violations are enforced under §§ 34-44 and 34-45, and every establishment's owner, operator, DJ or performer is jointly and severally liable for the sound coming from the premises.