Bowie, MD Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

City Code § 13-2 sets Bowie's baseline decibel ceiling by land use and time of day rather than a single citywide number. Residential property is capped at 60 dBA in the daytime hours of 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and 50 dBA overnight from 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., both defined in § 13-1. Commercial land use gets a higher ceiling of 67 dBA daytime and 62 dBA nighttime, and industrial land use is capped at a flat 75 dBA around the clock. The prohibition only applies where the noise is both above the table ceiling and "plainly audible" beyond the property line of the source, measured from the front or perimeter property line, or, with the adjacent owner's consent, from a point on the neighboring lot.

Section 13-2.C lets the City use equipment and techniques recommended by the Maryland Department of the Environment, which may reference ANSI, ASTM, SAE or EPA measurement standards, so a citation can rest on a calibrated sound level meter reading rather than an officer's impression. A violation of § 13-2 is a municipal infraction under § 13-6, and § 13-6.B specifies that each hour a violation continues counts as a separate, additional offense, so a sustained overnight noise source can accumulate multiple citations rather than a single fine.