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Pima County, AZ Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Quiet hours in Pima County, AZ, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.

Key Facts

Overnight curfew
10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
Daytime standard
audible past 125 feet from property line
Coverage
unincorporated Pima County only
Named businesses
bars, restaurants, inns, resorts
Penalty class
class 1 misdemeanor
Repeat exposure
each day is a separate offense

Summary

In unincorporated Pima County, no radio, stereo, musical instrument or sound system can be heard beyond your property line, or outside your vehicle, between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. The rule names bar, restaurant, inn and resort operators directly. Breaking it is a class 1 misdemeanor, and each night the noise continues counts as a separate offense.

City-specific rules exist: Tucson has its own quiet hours rules that differ from Pima County's county-level regulations. If you live in Tucson, check the city-specific page instead.

B. It shall be unlawful for any person, including the owner or manager of a restaurant, bar, inn, or resort of any kind, to operate or permit to be operated any radio receiving set, phonograph, musical instrument, or sound producing or sound reproducing mechanism, between the hours of 10:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M. in such a manner that the sound from such radio set, phonograph, musical instrument, sound producing or sound reproducing mechanism may be heard beyond the property line from which it is operated or outside the motor vehicle in which it is operated in such a manner as to create an excessive, unnecessary or offensive noise that a reasonable person of normal sensitivity residing in the area is caused discomfort or annoyance.

Source: Arizona State LegislatureView official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-64: Contains Supplement, with local legislation through Ordinance 2026-9, passed 7-28-2026, current through 7-28-2026).

Full Breakdown

30 sets two noise standards for radios, stereos, musical instruments and other sound equipment. 050(A) bars audible sound beyond 125 feet from the property line or vehicle at any hour if it causes a reasonable person discomfort or annoyance. , the same equipment cannot be heard past the property line at all, with no 125-foot buffer, if the sound is excessive, unnecessary or offensive to a reasonable person of normal sensitivity. 010; Tucson, Marana, Oro Valley, Sahuarita and South Tucson enforce their own noise codes.

Both subsections name bar, restaurant, inn and resort owners and managers specifically, so nightlife venues near residential property face the tightest exposure. 030(C) includes the near edge of a public street or right-of-way when the sound source is outdoor, and the overnight cutoff also covers sound coming from inside a parked or idling motor vehicle. 080 carve out properly functioning heating and cooling equipment, landscape maintenance equipment with mufflers in use, nonamplified crowd noise from school, government or community events (unless it happens at a bar, restaurant, inn or resort), safety and warning signals, emergency vehicles and emergency work, railroad trains, church chimes, power plant equipment, county vehicles on official business, farm equipment, and aircraft operating under federal air regulations. 090 makes any violation a public nuisance and a class 1 misdemeanor, and treats each day the noise continues as a separate chargeable offense.

Violations & Fines

A violation of Section 9.30.050(B) is charged as a class 1 misdemeanor, Arizona's highest misdemeanor class, which under A.R.S. §§ 13-707 and 13-802 carries up to six months in jail and a $2,500 fine plus surcharges. Because Section 9.30.090 treats each day of continuing noise as a separate offense, a bar or venue that keeps running loud sound equipment past 10:00 p.m. on multiple nights can face a new misdemeanor count for every night cited.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the quiet-hours rule apply inside Tucson?
No. Section 9.30.010 limits Chapter 9.30 to the county's unincorporated areas. Tucson, Marana, Oro Valley, Sahuarita and South Tucson each enforce their own noise ordinance, so a complaint inside city limits goes to that city's code enforcement, not the county.
How loud can a stereo be before 10 p.m.?
Under Section 9.30.050(A), sound equipment can run at any hour as long as it can't be heard more than 125 feet from the property line or vehicle where it's playing, and doesn't create noise that would cause a reasonable, normally sensitive neighbor discomfort or annoyance.
What happens if a bar keeps playing loud music after 10 p.m. for a week straight?
Each night is a separate class 1 misdemeanor under Section 9.30.090, so a week of nightly violations can produce seven distinct charges against the owner or manager, who is named directly in Section 9.30.050.
Are outdoor school or church events exempt from the overnight cutoff?
Nonamplified crowd noise from school, government or community group events is exempt under Section 9.30.080(C), but that exemption does not cover the same noise happening at a restaurant, bar, inn or resort.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Pima County

All Pima County rules

How Pima County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Pima County to another location·View the Arizona noise ordinances overview

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