Chattanooga measures noise on the A-weighting scale with a standard sound-level meter. Core residential amplified caps are 55 dB(A) by day and 50 dB(A) at night; vehicle limits run 80–90 dB(A); permitted events may not exceed 70 dB(A) at a home.
City Code Sec. 25-67 requires measurement on the A- and C-weighting scales, slow response, with an ANSI-standard meter, taken only when ambient sound is at least 10 dB(A) below the source. Enforceable dB(A) thresholds appear across the article: residential amplified sound 55/50 dB(A) day/night (Sec. 25-69(a)(1)); advertising amplification 60 dB(A) (25-69(a)(4)); permitted amplification ceiling 70 dB(A) at a residential line (25-71(d)); and vehicle limits of 80–90 dB(A) by weight and speed (25-72). Hamilton County has not adopted a countywide numeric decibel ordinance for unincorporated areas; state disorderly-conduct law and any county nuisance resolution under TCA 5-1-118(c) govern there instead.
Violations of any measured limit draw a $50 citation fine and civil penalty up to $500 per violation (Sec. 25-73).
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See how Hamilton County's decibel limits rules stack up against other locations.
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