Woodbury, MN Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Woodbury does not publish its own decibel ceiling. Section 13-1 enforces noise through plainly-audible distance tests (50 feet at night, 100 feet during the day) and a general prohibition on distinctly and loudly audible noise that unreasonably disturbs others. The numeric decibel standards that apply in Woodbury are set at the state level by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency under Minnesota Rules chapter 7030. Those rules classify land by Noise Area Classification (NAC) and set both an L10 limit (the level that may be exceeded no more than 10 percent of an hour) and an L50 limit (50 percent of an hour). For NAC-1 residential areas, the limits are 65 dBA (L10) and 60 dBA (L50) in the daytime, and 55 dBA (L10) and 50 dBA (L50) at nighttime. For NAC-2 commercial areas the limits are 70/65 dBA day and night, and for NAC-3 industrial areas 80/75 dBA. Under Minn. R. 7030.0020, daytime means the hours from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and nighttime means 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (note this differs from the city ordinance's 6:00 a.m. boundary). These state standards are the meter-based backstop; day-to-day complaints in Woodbury are usually handled under the city's plainly-audible ordinance.