Hillsborough County, FL Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Hillsborough County, FL, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Prohibited
- Any 'noise disturbance,' any hour
- Applies to
- Unincorporated county only
- Max fine
- $500 per violation
- Max jail
- 60 days per violation
- Continuing violation
- Each day is separate offense
- Exemptions
- 13 categories, Sec. 36-435
- Prosecuted as
- Misdemeanor, F.S. § 125.69
Summary
Unincorporated Hillsborough County bans any 'noise disturbance' at any hour, not just at night. Sec. 36-434 makes it unlawful to make, continue, or knowingly permit any noise disturbance, defined in Sec. 36-430 as sound that injures or endangers health, is unreasonably loud or raucous to a reasonable person, or disturbs a neighborhood's peace and quiet. Violators face misdemeanor prosecution under F.S. § 125.69.
Noise disturbance means any sound which: (1) Injuries or endangers human or animal health or property; (2) Is unreasonably loud, raucous, jarring, disturbing or a nuisance to a reasonable person of ordinary sensibility; or (3) Disturbs the peace, quiet and comfort of the neighborhood and the vicinity thereof. ... Sec. 36-434. General prohibition. No person shall make, continue, or knowingly permit to be made or continued any noise disturbance.
Full Breakdown
Hillsborough County's noise ordinance, codified at Chapter 36, Article VI, Division 2 (Sec. 36-429 through 36-439), does not set a nightly curfew with a clock time. Instead Sec. ' Sec. 36-430 defines 'noise disturbance' as any sound that injures or endangers human or animal health or property, is unreasonably loud, raucous, jarring or disturbing to a reasonable person of ordinary sensibility, or disturbs the peace, quiet and comfort of the neighborhood. The division applies only within the jurisdictional limits of unincorporated Hillsborough County (Sec. 36-433); Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City enforce their own noise codes.
The Board adopted the division 'to protect, promote, and preserve the health, safety, welfare, peace and quiet of the citizens' (Sec. 36-431), finding that noise disturbance interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life and property and the well-being, tranquility and privacy of the home (Sec. 36-432). Thirteen categories of sound are exempt under Sec. S. Ch. 14. Sec. 36-438 makes the division supplemental to, not in conflict with, any stricter rule of the Environmental Protection Commission or another agency with jurisdiction over noise.
Violations & Fines
Under Sec. 36-437, a noise-disturbance violation is prosecuted under F.S. § 125.69 in the name of the state the same as a misdemeanor. A conviction carries a fine of up to $500.00, imprisonment in the county jail for up to 60 days, or both. Each occurrence is a separate offense, and for a continuous violation each day it continues is its own separate offense that can be punished separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Hillsborough County set specific nighttime quiet hours?
Where does this noise ban apply?
What's the penalty for a noise disturbance violation?
Are construction noise or barking dogs exempt from the general ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hillsborough County
How Hillsborough County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Hillsborough County to another location·View the Florida noise ordinances overview
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