Chattanooga, TN Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Chattanooga, TN, 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
- Chattanooga City Code § 25-79(a)(2)
- Quiet hours
- 8:30 p.m. to 10:00 a.m.
- Exempt
- permitted events under § 24-100
- Companion rule
- yelling barred 8:30 p.m.-7 a.m., (a)(3)
- Max penalty
- $500 per violation, § 25-74
Summary
Chattanooga City Code § 25-79(a)(2) bars playing amplified music loud enough to disturb neighbors in residential zones between 8:30 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. The rule exempts city-permitted block parties, festivals and park reservations issued under § 24-100, and it sits alongside a matching 8:30 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. curfew on yelling and street noise in § 25-79(a)(3).
(2)Amplified music in residential zones. The playing of any radio, phonograph, or any amplified music in such a manner or with such volume, particularly during the hours between 8:30 p.m. and 10:00 a.m., so as to annoy or disturb the quiet, comfort or repose of persons in any dwelling, or other type of residence or of any persons in the vicinity. This regulation shall not apply to special events permits issued by the City pursuant to City Code Section 24-100 for block parties, festivals, and park reservations, etc.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 40 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Section 25-79(a)(2), rewritten by Ordinance No. ,' so a permitted neighborhood event isn't a quiet-hours violation even during the restricted window. m. Both sections apply to residential zones outside the Downtown Amplified Music District; venues inside that district instead follow the metered sound-level table in § 25-69(b), which sets separate dB(A) and dB(C) limits by time block. Article III's general definitions section, § 25-67, supplies the terms, such as ambient noise and A-weighted sound level, that courts use when a citation is contested, even though § 25-79(a)(2) itself is written as a disturbance standard rather than a metered decibel limit.
Violations & Fines
A quiet-hours citation is enforced under § 25-74: a $50.00 fine per violation, plus a civil penalty of up to $500.00 to recover the city's administrative costs, or a conditional civil penalty up to $500.00 that's purged if the violator stays clean of another Article III violation for a year. Combined fines and penalties for a single violation cannot exceed $500.00.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time do quiet hours start in Chattanooga neighborhoods?
Can a permitted block party play music after 8:30 p.m.?
Is yelling on the street after dark against city rules too?
What's the penalty for playing loud music after quiet hours?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chattanooga
How Chattanooga compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Chattanooga to another location·View the Tennessee noise ordinances overview
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