Ankeny, IA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)

Section 44.04, Noise Disturbance Prohibited, states flatly that it is unlawful for any person to willfully make, continue, cause, or allow any noise disturbance within the City. Section 44.05, Sounds Not Allowed, then defines 'noise disturbance' through an eighteen-item list, and most of the residential-facing items share the same overnight window: chain saws and other motor-powered tree trimming equipment become a violation between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.; the same 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. curfew applies to engine repair and testing, musical instruments, powered model vehicles, and loading, unloading or handling of boxes, dumpsters and trash cans, except on retail, commercial or industrial-zoned property, which is exempt from the time limit.

Lawn and garden equipment shares the same 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. window, except golf courses are exempt from that particular item. Power snow-removal equipment gets a narrower late-night carve-out, banned only between midnight and 5:30 a.m. in residential areas. A separate item, 'Injurious or Disturbing Sounds Generally,' bans any sound that endangers health or safety or disturbs a person of normal sensitivities at all times, day or night, so the ordinance is not purely a nighttime rule. Chapter 44 carries its own penalty clause at § 44.10: unless another penalty is expressly set for a specific provision, a violation is a simple misdemeanor with a fine of not more than $500, or it can instead be charged as a municipal infraction with a civil penalty, at the discretion of a police officer, code enforcement officer or the Police Chief's designee.