DuPage County, IL Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in DuPage County, IL, 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
- 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Audibility threshold
- More than 100 feet from source
- Permit issuer
- DuPage County
- First-violation fine
- $100.00-$1,000.00
- Repeat-violation fine (1 yr)
- $500.00-$1,000.00
Summary
In unincorporated DuPage County, running a sound amplifying device or instrument loud enough to be heard past 100 feet between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. is a public nuisance unless the operator has first obtained a county permit.
It shall be unlawful and a public nuisance to use or operate a sound amplifying device or instrument so that the device or instrument produces loud and raucous sounds at a distance greater than one hundred (100) feet from said device or instrument unless one (1) has obtained a permit to do so from the County of DuPage, between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 14 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
without first obtaining a permit from DuPage County. The rule applies only within unincorporated county territory outside any incorporated municipality per Section 26-10(a); it does not reach Naperville, Wheaton or the county's other home-rule cities and villages, each of which sets its own hours. Section 26-15 extends liability beyond the person making the noise: a property occupant or the occupant's agent who knowingly permits another person to violate the curfew is treated as equally responsible and subject to the same penalty, and anyone in charge of a vehicle, device or machine that causes the prohibited noise is likewise guilty. m.
Violations & Fines
Section 26-13 sets the penalty for a first violation of the 10 p.m.-7 a.m. curfew at not less than $100.00 and not more than $1,000.00, with each day of violation a separate offense. A second or subsequent violation within one year carries a heavier fine of not less than $500.00 and not more than $1,000.00.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are DuPage County's quiet hours for outdoor sound equipment?
Can a homeowner be fined for a party they didn't personally run the speakers at?
Does the county quiet-hours rule apply inside Naperville or Downers Grove?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in DuPage County
How DuPage County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare DuPage County to another location·View the Illinois noise ordinances overview
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