Hendersonville, TN Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Hendersonville is one of the relatively few Tennessee cities to actually codify numeric decibel limits for business and commercial uses. The full text of Section 11-403 was added by Ord. #2005-13 (August 2005) and amended by Ord. #2022-21 (November 2022). The dBA caps in 11-403(3) (see industrial-noise subcategory for full quote) are: 65 dBA night / 75 dBA day, measured at the outside wall of any residential structure in a residential zoning district, at 4 feet above the immediate surrounding surface. The night window is 9 p.m.-6 a.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 p.m.-6 a.m. Friday-Saturday (extending Friday and Saturday evenings by 2 extra hours of permissive daytime cap). Section 11-403(1) creates the 'plainly audible at 50 feet' motor-vehicle audio standard: 'No person operating or occupying a motor vehicle on any street, highway, alley, parking lot or driveway, either public or private property, shall operate or permit the operation of any sound amplification system, including, but not limited to, any radio, tape player, compact disc player, loud speaker or any other electrical device used for the amplification of sound from within the motor vehicle so that the sound is plainly audible at a distance of fifty or more feet from the vehicle or, in the case of a motor vehicle on private property, beyond the property line. For the purpose of this subsection, "plainly audible" means any sound which clearly can be heard, by unimpaired auditory senses based on a direct line of sight of fifty or more feet, however, words or phrases need not be discernible and said sound shall include bass reverberation.' Exemptions: emergency / public safety vehicles, vehicles owned and operated by the City, Sumner County or any utility company during job-related operation, and permitted public-activity vehicles. Residential-source noise (i.e., a neighbor's stereo, party, or yard equipment) is NOT subject to a numeric dBA cap - it is enforced on the qualitative Section 11-402 'unreasonably loud, disturbing, and unnecessary' standard with heightened 11 p.m.-7 a.m. attention.