Milwaukee County sets no countywide decibel limits. Any numeric dBA thresholds are adopted by individual municipalities. The county's only direct noise metric is a distance test, not decibels: sound devices in county parks may not be heard beyond 50 feet under Code Chapter 47.
There is no Milwaukee County decibel ordinance. Wisconsin has no statewide numeric noise standard either, so any measured dBA limits in the county are set by individual cities and villages. Some Milwaukee County municipalities use a decibel-based ordinance with property-line readings that vary by zoning district and time of day, while others rely on a 'plainly audible' or nuisance standard; the numbers differ from city to city. The COUNTY government does not measure or cap decibels for private property. Its only direct noise control is the 50-foot audibility test for sound devices in county parks under Code Chapter 47, a distance standard rather than a decibel reading. Statewide, unreasonably loud conduct can be charged under Wis. Stat. sec. 947.01.
Decibel citations, where they exist, are issued by the municipality that adopted the standard, based on a meter reading at the property line. The county issues no decibel-based citation; in county parks it enforces the 50-foot audibility limit instead.
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