Farmington Hills, MI Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Farmington Hills, MI, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Residential daytime limit
- 60 dB(A), 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
- Residential evening limit
- 55 dB(A), 7-10 p.m.
- Residential nighttime limit
- 50 dB(A), 10 p.m.-7 a.m.
- Business nighttime limit
- 50 dB(A) overnight
- Measurement standard
- ANSI A-weighted dB(A) meter
- Violation type
- municipal civil infraction, Sec. 17-107
Summary
Farmington Hills caps measurable noise at 50 decibels between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. in residential districts, 55 dB from 7 to 10 p.m., and 60 dB from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., under the zoning performance standard in City Code Sec. 17-101, Table A. Business and industrial uses face separate nighttime ceilings, and violations are municipal civil infractions.
No operation or activity shall be carried on that causes or creates measurable noise levels that are unreasonably loud or that unreasonably interfere with the peace and comfort of others, or that exceed the maximum noise level limits prescribed in Table A below... Residential (see uses included in RA, RP, RC, SP, MH districts) 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. 60 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. 55 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. 50
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 36).
Full Breakdown
" Subsection (a) bars any operation or activity that causes noise levels that are "unreasonably loud" or that exceed the numeric ceilings set in Table A, measured at any point on adjacent property. , the city's true nighttime quiet-hours threshold. Business and office districts are held to 65 dB(A) by day and 50 dB(A) overnight, while industrial uses adjacent to other industrial or business property may run up to 70 dB(A) at any hour, dropping to 60 dB(A) where a neighboring property is residential. Measurements must use an ANSI-calibrated, A-weighted sound meter.
Subsection (d) lets existing background noise raise the effective ceiling, and subsection (e) allows intermittent or pure-tone sounds to be cited even under the table's numbers if they unreasonably interfere with sleep or repose. Subsection (g) exempts construction noise governed separately by Sec. , school events, church bells and the unamplified human voice. A property owner may seek a special exception from the Zoning Board of Appeals under subsection (f).
Violations & Fines
Exceeding Table A's limits is a municipal civil infraction under Sec. 17-107, prosecuted through the Code's civil-infraction procedure in Chapter 1 rather than as a criminal misdemeanor. The city can act on a single measured exceedance, and each day the noise source continues to exceed the applicable time-of-day limit may be cited as its own infraction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the quietest hour limit for noise in a Farmington Hills neighborhood?
Are any noises exempt from the decibel limits?
Can a business get relief from the noise standard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Farmington Hills
How Farmington Hills compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Farmington Hills to another location·View the Michigan noise ordinances overview
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