Bay County, FL Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)

Sec. 17-72(c) of the Bay County Code makes it "unlawful to allow or to cause a noise nuisance to be produced, whether measured or not, at any time, in any zoning category," on top of the numeric sound-level limits elsewhere in the section. Subsection (i) then carves out a list of activities exempt from those noise and sound-level rules, and item (i)(2) covers "constructing, repairing or demolishing buildings or structures or driving pilings." The exempt hours differ by zoning: in areas zoned residential or seasonal resort, construction noise is allowed from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., but the exemption does not apply at all on Sundays, meaning Sunday construction noise in those zones can be cited as a noise nuisance regardless of the hour. In areas zoned commercial, industrial, agricultural or public/institutional, the exempt window runs earlier, from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., seven days a week.

Outside those hours and days, a construction site is not automatically exempt and can be evaluated under the general noise-nuisance prohibition in subsection (c), or under the numeric dBA limits elsewhere in Sec. 17-72. The exemption is narrow: it excuses noise from the specific listed activity (building, repairing, demolishing, pile-driving) during the stated hours, not general job-site noise at other times. Sec. 17-73(c) sets the penalty structure for any Article V noise violation, including an out-of-hours construction complaint: a first offense draws a $500.00 fine, and a second offense, or two or more violations within six months, becomes a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000.00 and up to 60 days in jail. The Bay County Sheriff's Office is the enforcing agency under Sec. 17-73(b), which authorizes deputies to issue citations or a summons to county court.