Kokomo, IN Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Kokomo Code of Ordinances § 132.01 defines a decibel as a unit measuring sound pressure using the A-weighted network, read on a sound level meter calibrated to American National Standards Institute standards. Section 132.03(B)(11) sets the operative numeric test: any noise exceeding 83 dB(A) measured at least 15 feet from the source, or any noise audible more than 50 feet away that is inherently obnoxious or patently offensive, is prima facie evidence of a prohibited noise. The section goes further than a simple meter reading: noise measuring below 83 dB(A) at 15 feet still violates the chapter if it otherwise matches one of the enumerated prohibited-noise categories in § 132.03(B), and the code states there is no decibel measurement requirement to prove a violation at all.

This makes the 83 dB(A)/15-foot threshold a safe-harbor ceiling rather than the sole basis for a citation. Exemptions in § 132.04 cover emergency vehicles, properly muffled lawn and garden equipment and power tools between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., burglar alarms promptly silenced, authorized parades and performances, sporting events, emergency work, legal fireworks, and rubbish collection between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.