Leominster, MA Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Motorcycle limit, slower zones
- 82 dB at 50 feet
- Motorcycle limit, faster zones
- 86 dB at 50 feet
- Commercial establishment limit
- 10 dB(A) above ambient
- Measurement point (business)
- property line
- First offense fine
- $100
Summary
Leominster caps street-legal motorcycles at 82-86 decibels depending on speed zone and bars commercial establishments from raising ambient sound more than ten dB(A) at their property line.
(7)Sound levels for motorcycles.(a)No person shall operate a motorcycle intended for use on the highways of the commonwealth and registered under the provisions of M.G.L.A. c. 90, § 2 in such a manner as to exceed eighty-two decibels when operated within a speed zone of forty-five miles per or less, or in such a manner as to exceed eighty-six decibels when operated within a speed zone of over forty-five miles per hour measured at fifty feet using the prescribed highway vehicle sound level measurement procedure. ... (e)No person shall make or cause or permit to be made or caused any music or sound originating from or in connection with the operation of any commercial establishment or enterprise when the level of sound increases the broad band sound level, when measured at the property line of the establishment, by more than ten dB(A) above ambient, or produces a pure tone condition (a condition is created when any octave band center frequency sound pressure level exceeds the two adjacent center frequency sound pressure levels by three decibels or more).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 24).
Full Breakdown
c. 90, section 2: eighty-two decibels when operated in a speed zone of forty-five miles per hour or less, and eighty-six decibels in a zone over forty-five miles per hour, both measured at fifty feet using the prescribed highway vehicle sound level procedure. Subsection (7)(b) separately bars removing or disabling a motorcycle's factory exhaust or noise-control equipment and disallows aftermarket performance or competition exhaust systems on off-road vehicles in residential areas. For businesses, subsection (8)(e) caps commercial and enterprise sound at ten dB(A) above ambient measured at the establishment's property line, or bars any pure-tone condition where an octave-band frequency exceeds its neighbors by three decibels or more.
These numeric limits sit alongside the chapter's general definition of noise pollution as a ten dB(A) increase over background (five dB(A) for tonal sound), measured with a Type I or IIA-weighted sound level meter under ANSI standards, with the Director of Public Health authorized to require a third-party acoustical consultant when needed.
Violations & Fines
First offense: $100. Second offense: $200. Third and any subsequent offense: $300, with each day of noncompliance a new violation, enforceable through noncriminal disposition under G.L. c. 40, section 21D by the Director of Public Health or a police officer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What decibel limit applies to motorcycles in Leominster?
Can a bar or restaurant in Leominster play loud music?
Is it legal to remove a motorcycle's muffler in Leominster?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Leominster
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Decibel Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle decibel limits.