Quiet hours in New Orleans, LA — also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time — define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
City Code Ch. 66, Art. IV defines nighttime quiet hours as 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. on weekends. In residential receiving zones, Sec. 66-202 caps sound at roughly 60 dBA L10 / 70 dBA Lmax during the day and 55 dBA L10 / 60 dBA Lmax at night, measured at the receiving property line.
Noise in New Orleans is regulated under Chapter 66, Article IV of the Code of Ordinances (Sections 66-136 through 66-205) and by Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:103 (disturbing the peace). Sec. 66-136 contains the definitions, including "nighttime hours" (10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. weekdays; 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. weekends) and "daytime hours" (the balance of the day). Division 3 of Article IV (Sections 66-201 through 66-205) sets the substantive limits. Sec. 66-201 establishes the measurement methodology: A-weighted sound pressure levels using a Type 2 sound level meter on slow response, with a minimum 10-minute measurement period taken at the receiving property line. Sec. 66-202 (Maximum permissible sound levels by receiving land use) sets numeric caps in Table 1; for residential receiving zones the daytime limit is approximately 60 dBA L10 with a 70 dBA Lmax peak, dropping at 10:00 p.m. to roughly 55 dBA L10 with a 60 dBA Lmax peak. Higher caps apply to commercial and industrial receiving zones. Sec. 66-203 lists specific nuisance noises that are prohibited regardless of decibel level, including playing musical instruments, radios, televisions, phonographs, or sound devices on any public right-of-way, public park, playground, or recreational area in such a manner as to exceed an average of 80 dBA at 50 feet from the source. The same section also makes it unlawful to play musical instruments on public rights-of-way between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m., and creates a 500-foot "quiet zone" buffer around schools, hospitals, churches, courts, and similar noise-sensitive uses where conspicuous signage is posted. Vieux Carre (French Quarter) overlay rules and Mardi Gras parade ordinances supplement Article IV in those specific areas. Enforcement runs through the New Orleans Police Department and the Department of Health under Sec. 66-137; officers may order an immediate cessation of the offending noise. The state-level backstop, La. R.S. 14:103, criminalizes disturbing the peace by loud, profane, or boisterous conduct that would foreseeably alarm the public.
Under Sec. 66-138, violations of Article IV are misdemeanors. On conviction, a violator may be fined in an amount up to that authorized by applicable state law and/or imprisoned for up to 90 days, with each day a continuing violation occurs treated as a separate offense. Police or health department officers may issue an immediate cease-and-desist order on the scene, and equipment used to generate prohibited noise can be subject to seizure on a repeat-offense basis. Separately, La. R.S. 14:103 disturbing-the-peace charges carry fines up to $100 and/or imprisonment up to 90 days for general offenses, with elevated penalties (up to $500 fine and 6 months) for funeral-related conduct under subsections (A)(7) and (A)(8). Civil nuisance abatement and Alcoholic Beverage Control review are also available against repeat-offending bars and venues.
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