Maple Grove, MN Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Minnesota does not let cities set numeric noise limits more stringent than the state's. Under Minn. Stat. 116.07, subd. 2, "no local governing unit shall set standards describing the maximum levels of sound pressure which are more stringent than those set by the Pollution Control Agency." The controlling decibel limits therefore come from Minn. R. 7030.0040, which uses A-weighted statistical levels: L10 (the level exceeded 10% of an hour, about 6 minutes) and L50 (exceeded 50% of the hour). The limits by Noise Area Classification are — NAC 1 (residential): day L10 65 / L50 60, night L10 55 / L50 50; NAC 2 (commercial/business): L10 70 / L50 65 day and night; NAC 3 (industrial): L10 80 / L50 75 day and night. "Daytime" is 7:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m. and "nighttime" is 10:00 p.m.–7:00 a.m. (Minn. R. 7030.0020). Critically, the classification follows the land use of the person hearing the noise, not the source — so an industrial facility audible at a home is held to the residential (NAC 1) limits. Measurements must be A-weighted, fast response, taken outdoors at least three feet off the ground, with wind under 11 mph. Maple Grove's own City Code Chapter 20 (sections 20-81 to 20-91) provides the local nuisance-noise enforcement that operates alongside these state numeric limits; the city's code does not appear to set its own decibel table.