Bloomington, MN Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)

Bloomington puts its quiet hours in the Noise Code, Article IV of Chapter 10 of the City Code, and does so through a defined window rather than a stand-alone curfew. Section 10.29(b) defines NIGHTTIME as the hours from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. and DAYTIME as the hours from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

The rule aimed at people in the street is § 10.30(b)(5). Between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or loud singing on the public streets within 50 feet of a residential dwelling unit or sleeping facility is a presumptive public nuisance. The code defines a sleeping facility as any structure or property normally used on a regular basis for overnight lodging, including hotels, motels, boarding houses and campgrounds, so the protection covers lodging as well as homes.

Time of night also feeds the general prohibition in § 10.30(a). It is unlawful to make, continue, permit or cause any loud, unnecessary or unusual noise that would be likely to annoy, disturb, injure or endanger the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of a reasonable person. The first factor listed for judging a noise is the time of day or night it occurs. The others are duration or recurrence, proximity to a sleeping facility, residence, school, hospital, church, courthouse or office, the number of people affected, the land use and zoning of the area, and the sound level compared with the ambient sound level.

Numeric night limits sit in a different section. Section 10.29.02 caps Noise Area Classification 1 land, which includes household units and hotels, at 50 dBA (L50) and 55 dBA (L10) at night, and the same section lets Classification 1 land with no overnight lodging use the daytime standards after 10:00 p.m.

Emergency work is carved out. Section 10.31(a) exempts authorized emergency vehicles, sirens and warning devices used by public safety personnel, and emergency work such as utility maintenance, tree removal after weather events and snow removal. The Noise Exception Permit process in § 10.31(b) is written for §§ 10.29.02 and 10.29.07, the numeric limits and the equipment and construction hours.