West Bloomfield, MI Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Section 15-141(c) sets the Township's baseline numeric noise standard: sound coming from a parcel of land, or from an individual unit within a multi-unit building, including intermittent noise, must be controlled so it does not exceed 85 decibels (dBA) between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., or 75 dBA between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. The limit is measured at the property line of the parcel or the exterior of the building unit from which the sound is emanating, making it a boundary-line standard rather than a limit measured at a complaining neighbor's property.

These numeric caps apply except as provided in subsection (d), which lists fourteen categories of noise, ranging from construction and lawn care to generators, HVAC equipment, snow removal and licensed public events, that may exceed the decibel limits if they comply with the hours and conditions attached to each category. Outside those listed exceptions, any sound over the threshold, whether from a party, an outdoor speaker system, or industrial equipment, is a violation regardless of intent. Section 15-141 sits in Chapter 15, Article V, Offenses Against Public Peace, and was last amended by Ordinance No.

C-755, Section 1, adopted September 12, 2011. Because the decibel standard carries no separate fine, an exceedance defaults to the Code's general misdemeanor penalty in Section 1-10(a): up to 93 days in jail, a $500 fine, or both, with a continuing-violation clause that charges each day separately.