Quiet hours in Fort Smith, AR β also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time β define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Fort Smith does not set a single statewide-style decibel curfew. Instead, noise is regulated as a nuisance under Chapter 16 of the Fort Smith Municipal Code and as a criminal offense under Arkansas Code Annotated Β§ 5-71-207 (disorderly conduct). Both reach 'unreasonable or excessive noise' that disturbs the peace, and the Fort Smith Police Department enforces complaints around the clock.
Arkansas has no statewide quiet-hours statute; municipal authority to declare noise a nuisance comes from A.C.A. Β§ 14-54-103 (general powers of cities and towns) and A.C.A. Β§ 14-54-101 et seq. Fort Smith exercises that authority through Chapter 16 (Nuisances) of the Municipal Code, which the Neighborhood Services Division administers through the city's standard nuisance-abatement process: an investigator inspects the complaint, the city administrator (or designee) issues a written order to abate, and the property owner has seven (7) days to correct the condition before criminal charges and city-cost abatement begin (with abatement costs becoming a lien on the property). For most night-time noise complaints, however, the Fort Smith Police Department responds in real time under A.C.A. Β§ 5-71-207, which makes it disorderly conduct to make 'unreasonable or excessive noise' with the purpose to cause public inconvenience or recklessly creating a risk of it. Officers commonly use this state-law tool because it is a Class C misdemeanor enforceable on view, without the need for a sound-level meter reading. There is no codified blanket 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. window in Fort Smith - the standard is contextual ('unreasonable for the time and place'), and the burden in court is on the prosecution to show that the noise was unreasonable under all the circumstances.
Disorderly conduct under A.C.A. Β§ 5-71-207 is a Class C misdemeanor (up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine). Chapter 16 nuisance violations follow the city's general penalty schedule and the statutory cap for municipal ordinance violations under Arkansas law (currently up to $1,000 per offense for an initial violation, with continuing-violation penalties up to $500 per day). Failure to abate within seven (7) days after a written city order can result in city-funded abatement billed back to the property owner as a lien.
Fort Smith, AR
Swimming pools in Fort Smith must comply with the 2021 International Residential Code (Appendix G) and the Arkansas Pool Safety Act (A.C.A. 20-26-301 et seq....
Fort Smith, AR
Fort Smith's Chapter 27 UDO lists allowed residential fence materials (wood, metal tubing, wrought iron, stone, masonry, chain link, and listed vinyl/composi...
Fort Smith, AR
Fort Smith's Chapter 27 UDO does not require neighbor consent to build a fence; the owner only needs to stay on their own property and meet the city's height...
Fort Smith, AR
Fort Smith requires a building permit for any fence taller than 6 feet, issued by the Building Safety Division at 623 Garrison Avenue. Shorter fences must st...
Fort Smith, AR
Fort Smith's Unified Development Ordinance (Chapter 27, including Article 27-700 General Standards and Article 27-400 Zoning Districts) generally caps reside...
Fort Smith, AR
Fort Smith's Code of Ordinances does not impose a single fixed numerical cap on household dogs and cats, but Section 4-108 (effective July 17, 2023) requires...
See how Fort Smith's quiet hours rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.