McHenry County, IL Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in McHenry County, IL, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Unincorporated McHenry County
- Audibility trigger
- 100 feet from lot line
- Standard
- Prolonged, harsh, raucous noise
- Meter required
- No decibel meter needed
- First-offense fine
- $100
Summary
In unincorporated McHenry County, any prolonged, harsh, unusual, or raucous noise audible 100 feet or more from the source's lot line is a public nuisance if it causes unreasonable discomfort to neighbors. Cities like Crystal Lake and Woodstock set their own quiet hours.
It is a public nuisance to make, continue, create, or cause to be made or continue any noise which is prolonged, harsh, unusual, raucous, or unusual in time or place and which can be heard from a distance of 100 feet or more from the lot line of the source of the noise.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
McHenry County's Nuisance Noise Ordinance governs unincorporated areas (property outside any city or village). Rather than a fixed decibel limit, it bans noise that is prolonged, harsh, unusual, or raucous when it carries 100 feet or more from the lot line and disturbs surrounding residents. Officers weigh proximity to sleeping areas, land use, time of day, and duration; a decibel meter is not required. Free speech, agricultural activity, registered vehicles, and public-agency work are excluded. Incorporated cities enforce their own noise codes: Woodstock caps sound levels from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., and Crystal Lake bars unreasonable yelling, shouting, or amplified noise from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
Violations & Fines
First offense $100; each later offense $100 to $1,000. Each day is a separate offense. County may also seek injunctive relief and cease-and-desist orders.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the county have set quiet hours?
Who enforces noise in unincorporated areas?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in McHenry County
How McHenry County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare McHenry County to another location·View the Illinois noise ordinances overview
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