Midwest City, OK Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Midwest City, OK, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Residential night limit
- 50 dBA, 10:00 P.M. to 7:00 A.M.
- Residential day limit
- 55 dBA, 7:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M.
- What the limit covers
- Any stationary source of sound, section 26-6(a)
- Impulsive sound
- Table I limits reduced by 5 dBA
- Near schools, churches, hospitals, courts
- Residential levels apply within 500 feet, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Abatement order window
- Reasonable time, not to exceed 24 hours
- Hardship permit
- Three days or less; thirty days for construction
Summary
Midwest City sets a 50 dBA limit for Residential land from 10:00 P.M. to 7:00 A.M., and 55 dBA from 7:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. Section 26-6 applies those Table I levels to stationary sources of sound and makes it unlawful to operate, or permit the operation of, one that exceeds them. Enforcement runs through the municipal court.
Land use zoning district classifications shall be as set out in the zoning ordinance distinguishable as Residential, Commercial/Office, and Agricultural/Industrial land use classifications, within which sound levels of Table I of section 26-12 shall be locally measurable. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate, or to permit to be operated, any stationary source of sound which, during any sound level measurement period time interval: (1) Creates a unit percentile sound level (L 1) greater than 15 dBA as indicated within a given time division of land use calculations of section 26-12 , Table I; or (2) Creates a tenth percentile sound level (L 10) greater than 10 dBA as indicated within a given time division of land use calculations of section 26-12 , Table I; or (3) Creates a ninetieth percentile sound level (L 90), which exceeds limits as set out within a given time division of land use classification of section 26-12 , Table I. ... TABLE I—LIMITING SOUND LEVELS FOR LAND USE DISTRICTS Zoning District Classifications Day's Time Subdivision Sound Level Limits Residential 7:00 A.M.—10:00 P.M. 55 dBA 10:00 P.M.— 7:00 A.M. 50 dBA
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 21).
Full Breakdown
Midwest City writes its night limit as a rule for stationary sources of sound. Section 26-6(a) makes it unlawful for any person to operate, or to permit to be operated, a stationary source of sound that breaks the Table I levels in section 26-12, and Table I sorts those levels by land use and time of day. For land zoned Residential, the level is 55 dBA from 7:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. and 50 dBA from 10:00 P.M. to 7:00 A.M. Commercial or Office land is held to 60 dBA by day and 55 dBA at night, and Industrial or Agricultural land to 70 dBA in both periods.
Section 26-6(a) tests a source three ways over a sound level measurement period. Subsection (1) sets a 15 dBA figure for the L1 percentile level, subsection (2) sets a 10 dBA figure for the L10 level, and subsection (3) makes it unlawful to create an L90 level that exceeds the Table I limits. Section 26-2 defines the L90 level as the level exceeded ninety percent of the measurement period, and defines the period as not less than ten minutes and not more than thirty. Under section 26-6(d), readings come from a Type 2 or better sound level meter on the A-weighted scale, checked with a field calibrator before and after measurements each day.
Section 26-6(b) caps sound projected into a district with a lower limit at that lower limit, measured at the district boundary, and measures sound crossing between properties of different ownership in the same district at the property line of the affected property. A stationary source that emits impulsive sound has the Table I limits reduced by 5 dBA. Section 26-4(11) carries the residential night level to institutions: within 500 feet of a school, church, hospital, convalescent hospital, mass-care home or court of law, noise above the residential levels from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. is a violation where conspicuous, legible signs are displayed.
Section 26-3 is a separate prohibition on excessive, unnecessary or unusual noise disturbance, and on noise that annoys, disturbs or injures the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of others within the city limits. As printed, it contains no clock time and no decibel figure.
Violations & Fines
A violation of Chapter 26 is cause for a complaint in municipal court. For stationary sources, section 26-9(a) also lets the enforcement officer issue an abatement order allowing a reasonable time, not to exceed 24 hours, instead of filing; no order issues if the officer has reason to believe it will be ignored. Section 26-10 makes a convicted violator guilty of an offense against the city, counted per day for a continuous disturbance. Section 26-11 adds injunctive relief.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the noise limit at night in Midwest City?
Does 50 dBA cap every sound after 10:00 P.M.?
Can a one-time event or project get relief from the limit?
Which sounds are exempt from the noise rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Midwest City
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Quiet Hours in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle quiet hours.