Bossier City, LA Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Subsection (d) of Sec. 110-81, headed "Maximum permissible sound levels," sets a table of numeric ceilings for any continuous noise source by the zoning district in which it occurs: 55 dbA in a residential district, 60 dbA in a commercial district, and 80 dbA in an industrial district. The section states plainly that a sound pressure level exceeding the ceiling set for the district where it is measured "shall constitute prima facie evidence that such sound is an unnecessary noise," meaning a code enforcement officer or police officer who takes a reading over the applicable number does not need to separately prove nuisance; the numeric exceedance itself establishes the violation.

This table sits alongside the section's other two noise tests, the 15 dbA-above-ambient rule for amplified sound in subsection (b) and the "plainly audible" 25-foot test for radios and vehicle stereos in subsections (c) and (e), giving the city three separate ways to make a noise case depending on the source. All three share the same enforcement penalty in subsection (f): a fine of not less than $100.00 nor more than $500.00 for each offense, imprisonment for up to ten days, or both. The section, and its decibel table, dates to Ordinance No. 44-2006, adopted May 23, 2006, and applies citywide regardless of the specific noise source.