Summit County, OH Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential daytime cap
- 65 dBA
- Residential nighttime cap
- 55 dBA
- Non-residential daytime cap
- 67 dBA
- Non-residential nighttime cap
- 62 dBA
- Property-line audibility factor
- Over 80 feet
- Vehicle audibility factor
- Over 100 feet
- Sound meter
- Not required for citation
Summary
Summit County labels 65 dBA daytime and 55 dBA nighttime as the 'Maximum Noise Level Recommendations' for residential areas, and 67 dBA daytime and 62 dBA nighttime for non-residential areas, under Sec. 509.08(c). Officers do not need a decibel meter to cite a violation; Sec. 509.08(d) instead weighs eleven nuisance factors, including whether sound carries past 80 feet from a property line or 100 feet from a vehicle.
(c) Maximum Noise Level Recommendations. Daytime Nighttime Residential Area 65 dBA 55 dBA Non-residential area 67 dBA 62 dBA (d) Enforcement. (1) Complaints of noise nuisance shall be investigated by the law enforcement officer of the local political subdivision at the source of the complaint. ... - Whether a sound from a property is audible more than eighty (80) feet from the property line of the property; - Whether a sound from a vehicle on a street, highway or in the public right-of-way is audible more than one hundred (100) feet from the vehicle. ... (3) The law enforcement officer may use a sound level meter for that determination. A sound level meter is not required for a citation under this code.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 08(c) sets out a table titled 'Maximum Noise Level Recommendations': residential areas may not exceed 65 dBA in the daytime and 55 dBA at night, while non-residential areas top out at 67 dBA daytime and 62 dBA at night. Because the heading says 'Recommendations' rather than 'Limits,' Sec. 08(d) treats the numbers as one input into a broader enforcement test rather than an automatic threshold: the investigating law enforcement officer of the local political subdivision at the source of the complaint must weigh factors such as the volume of the noise, whether the origin of the noise is natural or unnatural, the density of the inhabitation of the area, whether the noise is produced by a commercial or noncommercial activity, and two specific audibility tests: whether a property-based sound is audible more than eighty feet from the property line, and whether vehicle noise on a street, highway or right-of-way is audible more than one hundred feet from the vehicle.
Sec. 08(d)(3) confirms an officer may use a sound level meter for that determination but that a sound level meter is not required for a citation under the code, meaning a citation can rest on the audibility and factor-based tests alone, without an actual dBA reading. The section, Ord. 2005-558, adopted January 9, 2006, applies in every township, village and municipal corporation in Summit County, though Sec. 08(g) preserves each municipality's right to enact its own separate noise regulation.
Violations & Fines
A first noise-level violation draws a warning and request to desist under Sec. 509.08(f)(1); if the person persists after the warning, the offense becomes a minor misdemeanor. Any subsequent violation is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree with fines up to $250.00, each day treated as a separate offense, and sound equipment involved may be seized and forfeited under Ohio R.C. 2933.41 through 2933.43.
Frequently Asked Questions
What decibel level is illegal in a Summit County residential neighborhood?
Do officers need to measure decibels with a meter to issue a citation?
How far does noise have to carry to count against a property owner?
What is the penalty for exceeding the noise limits repeatedly?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Summit County
Compare Summit County to another location·View the Ohio noise ordinances overview
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