Milwaukee County, WI Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)

Milwaukee County General Ordinances do not set a countywide noise standard for residential quiet hours - all land in the county is incorporated, so each city or village adopts its own noise rules under home-rule authority granted by Wis. Stat. sec. 62.23 (city zoning) and sec. 61.35 (village zoning). City of Milwaukee Code of Ordinances Chapter 80, Subchapter 2 ('Noise Control') is the primary framework for the largest jurisdiction. Sound from radios, televisions, musical instruments, or other sound-producing devices is declared a nuisance when audible at a distance greater than 50 feet from the source and disturbs the peace, quiet, or comfort of neighbors. The City defines 'day' as 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and 'night' as 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Power lawn mowers, chain saws, and similar equipment cannot be operated before 8:00 a.m. in residential areas. Trash compacting and refuse collection are prohibited from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. when within 200 feet of a residential premises (city sanitation operations are excepted). Repeat violators may have sound-producing devices impounded. Wauwatosa regulates noise under Chapter 7.46 of its Municipal Code, with parallel restrictions on commercial refuse collection within 200 feet of residential zones between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. West Allis and the smaller villages (Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, Brown Deer, Greendale, etc.) each maintain their own noise chapters - check the local code before assuming a single county standard. Wis. Stat. sec. 947.01 (disorderly conduct) authorizes any Wisconsin officer to cite unreasonably loud or disturbing conduct as a Class B misdemeanor.