Hennepin County, MN Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)

Hennepin County does not maintain a separate countywide noise ordinance because every parcel of the county lies within an incorporated city - Minneapolis, Bloomington, Plymouth, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Brooklyn Park, and 39 others. Each city sets its own noise rule. In Minneapolis, the controlling code is Title 15 (Offenses - Miscellaneous), Chapter 389. Section 389.65 (Prohibited Activities) prohibits 'noisy assemblies' - a gathering of more than one person in a residentially zoned or used area between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. that would cause significant discomfort to a reasonable person. Section 389.60 (Violations) sets numeric thresholds: between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. sound may not exceed ambient by more than 10 dB(A); between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. it may not exceed ambient by more than 5 dB(A). Section 389.70 restricts construction equipment to weekdays between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., and prohibits use on Saturdays, Sundays, and state and federal holidays without a special permit; sound may not exceed 90 dB(A) at 50 feet. Outdoor power tools (mowers, leaf blowers, snowblowers, hedge clippers, power saws) are exempt from the dB(A)-above-ambient limit but remain subject to the noisy-assembly rule and disturbing-the-peace statutes. Statewide, Minn. Rules 7030.0040 provides default standards for residential (NAC-1) zones: 60 dB(A) L50 / 65 dB(A) L10 daytime (7 a.m.-10 p.m.) and 50 dB(A) L50 / 55 dB(A) L10 nighttime (10 p.m.-7 a.m.). MPCA enforces 7030 against industrial and transportation sources; cities enforce their own ordinances against neighborhood and amplified-music complaints.