Lubbock, TX Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Venue cap
- 100 dBA at customer location
- Sign exemption
- Posted warning avoids the cap
- General standard
- Ordinary-sensibilities nuisance, not decibels
- Zone/time dB limits
- None; 2020 proposal tabled
- Citation
- Section 14.04.003(b)(7)
Summary
Lubbock sets no general decibel limits by zone or time of day. Its noise code enforces an "ordinary sensibilities" disturbance standard, with one numeric threshold: a place of public entertainment cannot exceed 100 dBA at the customer's location unless it posts a hearing-warning sign.
Operating or permitting to be operated in any place of public entertainment any loudspeaker or other source of sound which produces, at a point that is normally occupied by the customer, maximum sound pressure levels of 100 dBA as read on a sound level meter, unless a conspicuous and legible sign is posted near each public entrance stating: "Warning Sound Levels Within May Cause Permanent Hearing Impairment."
Full Breakdown
Under section 14.04.003(b)(7), a place of public entertainment may not produce sound exceeding maximum levels of 100 dBA, read on a sound level meter at a point normally occupied by the customer, unless a conspicuous sign is posted at each entrance warning that sound levels within may cause permanent hearing impairment. Every other prohibited noise in the article, amplified music, construction between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., outdoor power equipment, and loudspeakers, turns on whether the sound unreasonably disturbs neighbors of ordinary sensibilities, not a decibel reading. A 2020 proposal to add 70 and 80 dBA nighttime caps was tabled.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding 100 dBA at a public-entertainment venue without the posted hearing warning violates section 14.04.003. Residential and amplified-sound complaints are judged by the ordinary-sensibilities disturbance test, not a decibel meter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Lubbock have decibel limits?
Are there nighttime decibel numbers in Lubbock?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lubbock
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