Rothschild, WI Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Measurement method
- A-weighted, ANSI meter, at property line
- Residential threshold
- 85 dB(A) presumed unreasonable
- Nonresidential-adjacent limit
- 85 dB(A) for 4 hrs, 10pm-6am
- Immediate-citation threshold
- Over 110 dB(A)
- Correction window
- 30 days after written notice
- Penalty
- § 1-2, $10-$100 first offense
Summary
Rothschild treats any noise measuring 85 dB(A) or more at the complainant's property line as presumptively unreasonable in residential zones, and applies the same 85 dB(A) threshold to a nonresidential business next to housing that stays that loud for four straight hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. A reading over 110 dB(A) triggers an immediate citation under § 422-21.
It shall be unlawful for any person to make or engage in any unreasonably loud and raucous noise, including yelling, screaming, shouting, hooting, whistling, singing, horns or signal devices. A noise shall be presumed to be unreasonably loud and raucous if it is plainly audible within a residence and measures 85 dB(A) or more at the complainant's property line. ... Any mechanical noise which registers more than 85 dB(A) at the nearest complainant's property line will be probable cause for a violation. ... It shall be unlawful for any non-residentially zoned property adjacent to a residentially zoned property to operate its business at or above 85 dB(A) for four consecutive hours measured at the complainant's property line between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Decibel readings over 110 dB(A) at the complaint's property line will be subject to an immediate citation.
Full Breakdown
B fixes how decibels are measured: on the A-weighting scale, using a standard-design sound-level meter meeting American National Standards Institute specifications, taken at the complainant's property line. C(1)(a), yelling, horns, and similar loud noise in a residential zone is presumed unreasonably loud and raucous once it is plainly audible inside a residence and measures 85 dB(A) or more at that property line, with an exception carved out for organized sporting events, fairs, and carnivals; a violator must reduce the noise immediately on the monitoring officer's order.
Subsection C(2) applies the same 85 dB(A) figure to mechanical noise generally, treating a reading above it as probable cause for a citation. m. Subsection H sets the enforcement backstop for nonresidential zones generally, giving a violator up to 30 days from written notice to bring sound levels down, but a reading over 110 dB(A) at the property line skips that grace period entirely and draws an immediate citation.
Violations & Fines
A reading of 85 dB(A) or more at the complainant's property line supports a citation in a residential zone, and a nonresidential neighbor of a home that holds that level for four hours overnight faces the same exposure. Anything over 110 dB(A) is cited immediately with no correction window; below that, nonresidential violators get up to 30 days to fix the problem after written notice. All violations route to the general penalty, § 1-2: $10 to $100 for a first offense, $50 to $500 for a repeat within a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What decibel level counts as too loud in a Rothschild neighborhood?
How does the Village measure noise for a complaint?
What if a business next to my house is loud at night?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rothschild
Compare Rothschild to another location·View the Wisconsin noise ordinances overview
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