Harford County, MD Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Harford County, MD, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Quiet hours
- 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
- Audibility test
- 50 feet, residential property
- State night limit
- 55 dBA at property line
- Enforcement
- Sheriff, civil fine
Summary
Harford County Code § 193-8 prohibits voices, radios, instruments, and household tools between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. when audible more than 50 feet away on residential property. The state COMAR limit adds 55 dBA overnight.
A person shall not make or cause to be made between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. any noise produced vocally, with any radio receiving set, musical instrument, phonograph, any device intended for the production or reproduction of sound, or any household tool or other household equipment, if the noise is audible on any property that is used for residential purposes and is located more than 50 feet from the source of the noise.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4988582; v46 updated 2026-06-09; through 06-09-2026).
Full Breakdown
Harford is a charter county, so it writes its own overnight quiet hours in Harford County Code § 193-8, enforced by the Sheriff's Office. From 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., noise from voices, radios, phonographs, musical instruments, or household equipment cannot be audible more than 50 feet away on residential property. Maryland delegates broader noise authority to the Department of the Environment under Md. Code, Env't § 3-401, and COMAR 26.02.03.02 caps continuous residential noise at 65 dBA day and 55 dBA night at the property line. Bel Air and Havre de Grace enforce their own municipal quiet-hour ordinances. Emergency, agricultural, and business operations are exempt.
Violations & Fines
A person who keeps making the noise after a law enforcement officer orders it stopped is subject to a civil fine under § 193-8.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the quiet hours in Harford County?
Is there a decibel limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Harford County
How Harford County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Harford County to another location·View the Maryland noise ordinances overview
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