Noblesville publishes numeric dB(A) caps at the property line through Unified Development Ordinance §159.203 (Title XV, Ch. 159): roughly 65 dB(A) day / 60 dB(A) night for Industrial, 60 / 50 for Commercial, and 55 / 45 for Residential and all other districts. A single 10 dB brief excursion of up to 15 minutes per day is allowed. The Ruoff Music Center area has its own §§93.22-93.24 thresholds (75 dB/A measured at one-half mile from the boundary, etc.).
Noblesville is one of the relatively small set of Indiana cities that publishes hard numeric dB(A) thresholds tied to enforcement, rather than relying solely on a reasonableness standard. Unified Development Ordinance §159.203 (Title XV, Ch. 159, Environmental Performance Standards) requires noise to be measured with a sound level meter meeting American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards, with the instrument set to the A-weighted response scale and the meter to slow response, at the receiving property line. The published district-by-district limits are: Industrial ~65 dB(A) daytime / 60 dB(A) nighttime; Commercial ~60 dB(A) daytime / 50 dB(A) nighttime; Residential and all other districts ~55 dB(A) daytime / 45 dB(A) nighttime. The cross-district rule provides that 'where the emitting and receiving premises are in different districts, the limits governing the more restrictive district shall apply.' A 10 dB excursion above the published cap is allowed for a single period no longer than 15 minutes in any one day. Inside the Ruoff Music Center property area (legal description in Ord. 40-5-03, now codified at §§93.20-93.24), separate rules apply: (a) sound is not permitted to exceed 75 dB(A) for more than two minutes per hour at a point no closer than one-half mile from the property boundary; and (b) amplified sound is capped at 25 dB(A) above ambient at the property line during 11 p.m. - 7 a.m. The city-wide §93.25 rule does NOT use a numeric dB(A) cap - it is an operation-based rule (no amplified or sound-producing devices between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. audible across a property line). Vehicle muffler violations are independently enforceable under §71.43.
UDO §159.203 violations are enforced through Planning & Development (317-776-6325) and the UDO enforcement mechanism. §93.25 / §§93.20-93.24 violations follow the March 2021 fine schedule: up to $250 residential / $500 commercial-industrial first offense; up to $500 / $1,000 second offense within two years. IC 35-45-1-3 Class B misdemeanor disorderly conduct can also be charged. Report active disturbances to Noblesville Police 317-776-6340.
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