Pasco County, FL Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Industrial daytime cap
- 72 dBA (commercial), 66 dBA (residential)
- Commercial daytime cap
- 66 dBA (commercial), 60 dBA (residential)
- Nighttime/Sunday cap
- 55 dBA, both zones
- Radio/speaker schedule
- 66/60/55 dBA by time of day
- Governing section
- Code § 66-97(3), (7)(a)
Summary
Pasco County's noise code assigns a different decibel ceiling to every zone and time of day: industrial areas top out at 72 dBA and commercial at 66 dBA during the day under Table 1 in Code § 66-97(3), both dropping to 55 dBA after 6 p.m. and on Sundays, with a separate step-down schedule for radios and speakers.
No noise shall be created in an industrial or commercial zone which exceeds those levels given on table 1... Industrial 72 dBA (adjoining commercial district, no time limit) / 66 dBA (adjoining residential district, 7:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday). Commercial 66 dBA / 60 dBA. The maximum permitted noise level emanating from a commercially or industrially zoned district... for the hours between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday and during all hours of Sunday shall be 55 dBA.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 94 Update 1 | Land Development Code: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
, Monday through Saturday: an industrial source may reach 72 dBA measured at an adjoining commercial district's property line or 66 dBA at an adjoining residential district's line. A commercial source is capped lower: 66 dBA into an adjoining commercial district and 60 dBA into an adjoining residential district during those same daytime hours. m. Monday through Saturday, and during all hours of Sunday. Impulsive noises, brief spikes defined in Sec. 66-91, get a 10 dBA allowance added to the daytime Table 1 figures, but the code specifies that allowance 'shall not exceed the levels of table 1' during the nighttime and Sunday window.
A separate step-down schedule governs radios, TVs, musical instruments, drums, and exterior loudspeakers under Sec. , each measured at the noise source's own property line. The county administrator can waive the Table 1 limits under Sec. 66-96 for activities too important to public welfare to shut down, or for a business that was established away from residential areas before later being surrounded by residential development, in which case the industrial-commercial limits, not the tighter residential figures, continue to govern.
Violations & Fines
A radio, TV, or loudspeaker violation of Sec. 66-97(7)(a)'s dBA schedule is prosecuted as a second-degree misdemeanor under F.S. § 125.69(1) and Sec. 1-6(c) of the County Code. Exceeding the industrial or commercial Table 1 limits in Sec. 66-97(3) is instead enforced as a general Code violation through a citation under Sec. 1-11, not as a criminal charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
How loud can an industrial business be in Pasco County?
What's the decibel limit for a loud stereo in Pasco County?
Do brief loud noises get extra allowance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasco County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Pasco County to another location·View the Florida noise ordinances overview
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