Tuscaloosa uses measurable dB(A) limits, not a subjective standard. In residential districts the cap is 75 dB(A) by day and 65 dB(A) at night (lowered from 80/75 in 2018), measured on the A-weighted scale at the property line. A separate 75 dB(A) cap applies to car stereos on public streets.
Tuscaloosa is among the Alabama cities that enforce noise using numeric decibel limits rather than a purely subjective nuisance test. Section 10.8-12 defines 'db(A)' as 'a measure of sound pressure level in decibels on the A-weighted scale' and requires a 'decibel meter' meeting or exceeding ANSI Section 1.4 type-2 standards. The core limits are in Section 10.8-13: in a residential district, sound may not exceed the daytime ceiling from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. or the lower nighttime ceiling from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., measured at the property line or on a bordering public street. The originally codified values were 80 dB(A) (day) and 75 dB(A) (night); the City Council lowered them by 10 dB on June 26, 2018 to 75 dB(A) (day) and 65 dB(A) (night). A separate 75 dB(A) limit governs vehicle sound systems on public streets (Section 10.8-15). The code does not publish a separate decibel table for commercial or industrial districts; the numeric limits are keyed to residential districts and public rights-of-way bordering them.
Decibel-limit violations are measured by a qualifying meter and prosecuted under Sections 10.8-13 and 10.8-15 in Tuscaloosa Municipal Court. Under Alabama Code Section 11-45-9, the penalty is up to $500 and/or up to six months.
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