Kansas City, MO Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Kansas City, MO, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Nighttime hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Residential outdoor limit, night
- 55 dBA (vs. 60 dBA daytime)
- Plainly-audible standard
- 50 feet across residential line
- Enforcing agency
- Director of Health
- First-violation fine
- $100.00, per day
Summary
Kansas City sets lower nighttime sound limits than daytime under its noise code, cutting the allowable residential dBA level from 60 during the day to 55 between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
No person shall make, cause, suffer, continue, allow or permit the operation of any source of sound on any receiving property in such a manner as to create a sound level that equals or exceeds the sound level limits set forth in table I, when measured at the real property boundary or within the real property lines of any of the receiving properties listed in table I.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 139 | Zoning and Development Code: Supplement 38).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 46-4 bans operating any sound source on a receiving property at a level that equals or exceeds the caps in Table I, measured at the property boundary. Table I sets a residential outdoor limit of 60 dBA from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., dropping to 55 dBA from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Section 46-4(b) separately bars noise plainly audible 50 feet or more across a residential line at any hour. The Health Department's noise control officers enforce both standards citywide.
Violations & Fines
Health Department issues an administrative citation: $100 for a first violation (each day a separate offense), $100-$300 for a second, $300-$500 for a third, and $500-$1,000 for a fourth or later violation within 12 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Kansas City's official quiet hours?
Who enforces the noise curfew?
What's the fine for a first noise violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kansas City
How Kansas City compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Kansas City to another location·View the Missouri noise ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Quiet Hours in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Jackson County handle quiet hours.