Monroe County, FL Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Monroe County's noise ordinance gives code compliance and law enforcement a numeric backstop alongside its subjective 'loud and raucous' standard. Sec. 17-130(a)(2) sets the number: a disturbing noise exists whenever a sound equals or exceeds a measured level of 75 dBA (A-weighted decibels, which approximate human hearing) or 84 dBC (C-weighted decibels, more sensitive to low frequencies such as bass) for more than ten percent of any measurement period, and that period cannot be shorter than ten minutes, measured at or beyond any property boundary of the sound source.

Sec. 4-1983 sound level meter standards, and defines decibel itself as 20 times the base-ten logarithm of the ratio of the measured sound pressure to a 20-microPascal reference pressure. Sec. 17-130(c) tells the investigating officer where to stand: any sound level meter reading used to establish a violation must be taken within 100 feet of the property line of the sound source, and the officer may issue a citation or notice of violation on that reading. Subsection (d) clarifies that a meter reading is not required at all; an officer can act on disturbing noise if the complaining party is suffering it within their own property's boundaries, so the 75 dBA/84 dBC threshold is a guaranteed violation, not the only way to prove one.