Auburn, Alabama has not adopted a decibel-based noise ordinance. The police department confirms the city does not measure noise by decibel level and instead enforces the state disorderly-conduct statute's 'unreasonable noise' provision, judged on the circumstances rather than a meter reading.
Auburn is unusual among similarly sized cities in that it has no numeric decibel limits in its Code of Ordinances. The Auburn Police Department has publicly explained that the city does not have a noise ordinance based on decibel level; instead, officers rely on Alabama's disorderly-conduct statute, which prohibits making 'unreasonable noise.' Under Ala. Code Sec. 13A-11-7(a)(2), making unreasonable noise with intent to cause (or recklessly risking) public inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm is disorderly conduct, a Class C misdemeanor under subsection (b). Because there is no sound-meter threshold, enforcement is inherently judgment-based: officers consider the time of day, the type and source of the sound, the neighborhood, and how it affects nearby residents. This case-by-case model is why Auburn handled 5,492 noise complaints between 2017 and 2021 through warnings and discretion rather than meter readings. The narrow exceptions where Auburn does set concrete limits are construction work hours (Code Sec. 5-2) and habitually barking dogs (Code Sec. 4-19) neither of which is a decibel standard. Anyone expecting a posted decibel cap (for example 65 dBA daytime) will not find one in Auburn's code.
There is no decibel violation to cite because no decibel limit exists. Noise complaints are resolved as disorderly conduct under Ala. Code Sec. 13A-11-7 when the noise is unreasonable, a Class C misdemeanor, typically after a warning.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Auburn's decibel limits rules stack up against other locations.
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