Franklin, TN Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Franklin, 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
- Franklin Municipal Code § 11-403(1)
- Residential curfew
- 10 p.m.-7 a.m. Sun-Thu
- Weekend curfew
- 11 p.m.-7 a.m. Fri-Sat
- Test
- Sound plainly audible beyond property line
- Commercial/industrial rule
- Audible at 100 ft, same hours (§ 11-403(2))
- Penalty
- $50 misdemeanor fine per night (§ 11-407)
Summary
Franklin, Tennessee enforces a nightly noise curfew by zoning district: in residential zones, Franklin Municipal Code § 11-403(1) bars any sound plainly audible beyond the property line between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Commercial, industrial, and mixed-use areas get their own hours and a 100-foot measuring line under the same section.
(1)Residential zoning districts. No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit sound from any sound from any source, sound which is plainly audible beyond the property line of the property creating the noise between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday.(2)Commercial and industrial zoning districts. No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit amplified sound which is plainly audible when measured at least 100 feet from the real property boundary of the source of the sound between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 30 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Section 11-403 of the Franklin Municipal Code, title 11, chapter 4, sets the city's baseline 'unnecessary noise standard' by land use rather than a single citywide curfew. m. m. Friday and Saturday, the later Friday/Saturday cutoff giving households an extra hour on weekend nights. Subsection (2) applies a different test to commercial and industrial zones (GO, NC, CC, GC, CI, LI, and HI districts): amplified sound must not be plainly audible measured at least 100 feet from the property line during the same hours. Subsections (3) and (4) extend a residential-style curfew into mixed-use developments, prohibiting amplified sound within 100 feet of a residential property line inside a mixed-use project during the same nightly window, with an exception for events covered by a special noise permit issued under § 11-406.
The 'plainly audible' test does not require a decibel meter; it turns on whether a person of normal hearing sensitivity can identify the sound from beyond the property line, the same measure the city's noise officers use for both residential and commercial complaints. Daytime hours outside the curfew are governed instead by the separate 'unreasonably loud or unnecessary noise' standard in § 11-404.
Violations & Fines
Breaching the residential quiet-hours standard is a misdemeanor under § 11-407, fined $50.00, with each night of violation charged as a separate offense; the city or a neighbor may additionally pursue an injunction under § 11-408 against a chronic late-night noise source, and a property owner facing repeated hardship may seek temporary relief through the § 11-406 special-permit process.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Franklin's quiet hours in residential neighborhoods?
Do Franklin's quiet hours apply the same way to businesses?
Can a mixed-use development host a loud event after 10 p.m. in Franklin?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Franklin
How Franklin compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Franklin to another location·View the Tennessee noise ordinances overview
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