Caldwell, ID Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Caldwell, ID, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Curfew hours
- 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM
- Audibility threshold
- 150 feet from the noise source
- Violation classification
- Misdemeanor under section 07-13-06
- Original ordinance
- Ord. 2456, January 21, 2003
- Latest amendment
- Ord. 3636, November 4, 2024
Summary
Caldwell bans loud or offensive noise between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. citywide under City Code section 07-13-03, covering voices, musical instruments, horns, radios, loudspeakers, automobiles, machinery and other sound-amplifying equipment. Noise is "loud or offensive" once it is plainly audible 150 feet from its source inside a home, business, hospital, farm with animals, or restaurant, and any violation is a misdemeanor under section 07-13-06.
Between the hours of eleven o’clock (11:00) P.M. one day and seven o’clock (7:00) A.M. the next day, it shall be unlawful for any person, or business to make, cause, or allow loud or offensive noise by means of voice, musical instrument, horn, radio, loudspeaker, automobile, machinery, other sound amplifying equipment, or any other means which disturbs the peace, quiet, and comfort of any reasonable person of normal sensitiveness residing in the area. “Loud or offensive noise” is that which is plainly audible within any place of residence, business, hospital, farm property with animals, or restaurants other than the source of the sound at a distance of one hundred fifty feet (150') or more from the source of such sound.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 Code: Local legislation current through Ordinance 3747, passed 3-16-2026).
Full Breakdown
The city council adopted this curfew under authority granted by Idaho Code section 50-308, which lets Caldwell impose reasonable limitations on sound production. M. The code defines the violation by distance rather than decibels: noise is prohibited once it remains plainly audible, meaning its speech or musical content is identifiable, at 150 feet or more from a place of residence, business, hospital, farm property with animals, or restaurant other than the source. The current curfew traces to Ordinance 2456, passed January 21, 2003, and was amended by Ordinance 2877 on June 20, 2011 and again by Ordinance 3636 on November 4, 2024.
on Fridays and Saturdays; those exceptions are addressed separately under section 07-13-03(2) and (3). curfew applies to every residential, commercial and industrial noise source in Caldwell, and the Caldwell police department enforces it on a complaint or observed basis.
Violations & Fines
Violating the nighttime noise curfew is a misdemeanor under section 07-13-06, punishable under the general penalty scale in Idaho Code section 50-302 for city ordinance violations, which can include a fine, jail time, or both. Caldwell police may issue a citation to any person or business whose noise remains plainly audible 150 feet from a residence, business, hospital, farm or restaurant after 11 p.m.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Caldwell
How Caldwell compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Caldwell to another location·View the Idaho noise ordinances overview
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