Ocala, FL Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Measurements rely on a sound level meter and octave band filter, with vehicle and transportation noise excluded from the reading; brief impact sounds like forge hammers or punch presses get measured with an impact noise filter instead, and their allowed sound pressure level in the table can run six decibels higher than the standard limit. The Sec. 122-1144(c) table sets eight bands by frequency: 79 decibels for 0 to 74 cycles per second, 74 decibels for 75 to 149, 66 decibels for 150 to 299, 59 decibels for 300 to 599, 53 decibels for 600 to 1,199, 47 decibels for 1,200 to 2,399, 41 decibels for 2,400 to 4,799, and 39 decibels for anything at or above 4,800 cycles per second.

Any M-1, M-2 or M-3 industrial activity, whether indoors or outside, is measured at the property's plot line against these caps, and wherever that industrial district's boundary touches a residential district, the ceiling drops a further six decibels at that boundary. Enforcement runs through the building official: a suspected violation triggers written notice by certified mail and a 30-day correction window, shortened to immediate correction only if the violation poses an imminent threat to life or property nearby. Where the determination needs technical equipment or expertise beyond what the city keeps on hand, outside experts are called in, and their cost is billed to the property if a violation is confirmed, or absorbed by the city if it isn't.