Bowling Green, KY Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Bowling Green is unusual among Kentucky cities of its size in that its noise rule, Subchapter 9-3, does not publish numeric dBA limits at any property line - day or night, residential or commercial, indoor or outdoor. When asked about updating the ordinance, the Bowling Green Daily News reported that 'the ordinance doesn't quantify what the noise level should be anywhere for any type of noise,' and that 'the Bowling Green Police Department used to have decibel readers several years ago, but they created logistical issues' - an officer was quoted explaining 'you've got to figure out where it's measured from... If we're going to start enforcing that law, we need to know exactly what we're looking for.' As a result, BGPD does not currently rely on sound-meter readings for enforcement; officers and NCS evaluate complaints on a reasonableness / 'excessive noise' standard under Section 9-3.01 and the Chapter 27 nuisance framework. There is exactly one numeric decibel cap in the Bowling Green Code: Section 15-8.02(n) of the Mobile Food Vendor ordinance (Subch. 15-8, adopted as BG2019-50) requires that 'All Mobile Food Unit generators shall be rated at or below 80 decibels.' That rule applies to the generator rating - not to a measured property-line level - and applies only to food trucks and pushcarts operating on city rights-of-way. The Kentucky model adopted by many cities (10 p.m.-7 a.m. quiet hours with 55-65 dBA residential / 70-75 dBA commercial caps) has NOT been adopted in Bowling Green.