Albany, OR Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Albany, OR, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Albany Municipal Code § 7.08.050(1)(j), (n)
- Gathering noise hours
- 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Gathering test
- Plainly audible inside a dwelling that is not the source
- Garage noise hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., within 100 feet of homes
- First offense
- Warning, in writing or orally
- Maximum misdemeanor penalty
- Fine up to $2,500 or up to one year
Summary
In the City of Albany, Oregon, night noise limits sit inside AMC § 7.08.050: gatherings whose voices are plainly audible in another dwelling from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., and garage noise within 100 feet of homes from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. A first offense at a location draws a warning.
(j) The conducting, operating, or maintaining of any garage within 100 feet of any building used as a private residence, apartment house, rooming house, or hotel in such a manner as to cause loud or offensive noises to be emitted there-from between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.; ... (n) The gathering of any number of persons upon premises, whether public or private, and the creation of noise from the collective voices of such persons between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. that is plainly audible within any dwelling unit that is not the source of the sound; and (i) Upon first offense, location shall be issued a warning, either in writing or orally.
Full Breakdown
Albany does not print one curfew clause. Its night hours are set paragraph by paragraph in the unnecessary noise section, AMC § 7.08.050, which applies across the City of Albany, Oregon. The section begins by making it unlawful to create, permit, or continue any loud, disturbing, or unnecessary noise in the City, and then lists enumerated violations that are not exclusive.
Paragraph (1)(n) covers crowds. The gathering of any number of persons upon premises, public or private, and the creation of noise from their collective voices between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., is a violation when that noise is plainly audible within any dwelling unit that is not the source of the sound. Under (n)(i), the first offense at a location draws a warning, either in writing or orally. Plainly audible is defined in (m)(A), which the code applies to paragraph (n) as well: a sound for which the information content is unambiguously communicated to the listener, such as understandable speech or whether a voice is raised or normal.
Paragraph (1)(j) covers garages. Conducting, operating, or maintaining any garage within 100 feet of any building used as a private residence, apartment house, rooming house, or hotel in such a manner as to cause loud or offensive noises between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. is a violation.
The same 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. window applies to amplified sound under (1)(m)(i), where music or a television plainly audible inside a closed dwelling unit that is not the source is barred. Construction is limited to 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. under (1)(d). Paging systems are barred from being plainly audible from 9:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. under § 7.08.052(4).
The City Manager or designee can permit activity outside the specified limits under subsection (2) when public health, safety, and welfare will not be impaired.
Violations & Fines
Section 7.08.050 prints no penalty of its own, so AMC § 1.04.010(1)(c) applies: an offense with no penalty provided is deemed a misdemeanor, with a fine of not more than $2,500 or imprisonment not to exceed one year, or both. Under § 1.04.020 the City Attorney declares whether the case proceeds as a violation, carrying a civil penalty of not more than $1,000. Every day, or portion of a day, is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the quiet hours in the City of Albany, Oregon?
Can I be cited for a backyard party?
Does the garage noise rule cover a home workshop?
Is there a warning before a citation?
Can quiet hours be waived for an event?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Albany
How Albany compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Albany to another location·View the Oregon noise ordinances overview
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