Parma, OH Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential daytime limit
- 60 dBA, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Residential nighttime limit
- 50 dBA, 8 p.m. to 9 a.m.
- Retail business limit
- 65 dBA at all times
- Industrial limit
- 70 dBA at all times
- Measurement point
- Property boundary of receiving land use
- First-offense penalty
- Minor misdemeanor
- Willful violation penalty
- Fourth-degree misdemeanor
Summary
Parma caps sound at the property line of the land use receiving it: 60 dBA in residential areas from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., 50 dBA overnight, 65 dBA at retail businesses around the clock, and 70 dBA in industrial zones at all times. Violations are enforced as minor misdemeanors under Chapter 634.
No person shall operate, cause to be operated, or permit on private property, any source of sound in such a manner as to create a sound level which exceeds the limits set forth for the receiving land use category in Table I when measured at or within the property boundary of the receiving land use. TABLE I SOUND LEVELS BY RECEIVING LAND USE: Residential; Two-Family, Multifamily, High-Rise, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., 60 dBA. Residential; public space, open space or institutional, 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m., 50 dBA. General Retail Business or Local Retail Business, At all times, 65 dBA. Industrial, At all times, 70 dBA.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-30: Local legislation current to August 3, 2026 | State legislation current to June 25, 2025).
Full Breakdown
04 sets numeric ceilings keyed to the zoning of the property where sound is heard, not where it originates. m. General or local retail business property is capped at 65 dBA at all times, and industrial property at 70 dBA at all times, with no day/night split for either commercial category. 06 addresses louder, shorter-duration sound as an immediate threat to health and welfare: Table 2 sets continuous-sound ceilings measured 50 feet or 15 meters from the source that scale from 90 dBA for 24 hours down to 108 dBA for 22 minutes, and Table 3 caps impulsive sound at 145 dB for a single event, 135 dB for up to 10 repetitions, and 125 dB for up to 100 repetitions in any 24-hour period.
04 table, along with refuse collection vehicles and railway locomotives. 10 lets a property owner apply to the Safety Director for a special variance where compliance would cause unreasonable hardship, with notice given to potentially affected neighbors before a decision.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of the Table I limits is a minor misdemeanor; a willful or knowing violation is a fourth-degree misdemeanor. Each day a violation occurs or continues counts as a separate offense. Punishment is set under Section 698.02, and the same escalation and daily-offense structure applies to a 634.06 immediate-threat violation, which is charged as a fourth-degree misdemeanor outright.
Frequently Asked Questions
How loud can noise be at my property line in a Parma residential neighborhood?
Are commercial and industrial properties held to the same decibel limit as homes?
Can a Parma property owner get an exception to the noise limits?
What happens if someone repeatedly exceeds the decibel table?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Parma
Compare Parma to another location·View the Ohio noise ordinances overview
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Decibel Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Cuyahoga County handle decibel limits.