Rochester, NY Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Rochester, NY, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 75-4A, Municipal Code
- Night curfew
- 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m., property-line audible
- Day threshold
- Audible 50 feet beyond property line, 8 a.m.-10 p.m.
- Who's liable
- Noisemaker, plus premises/vehicle owner in control
- First-offense fine
- $25 (up to $50 in default)
Summary
Rochester's excessive-noise law makes it a violation for sound to carry beyond your property line between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., or to carry 50 feet beyond the line during the day, with the owner and person in control of the premises or vehicle both liable, under Municipal Code § 75-4.
No person shall make, continue, cause, or suffer or permit to be made or continued, and the owner and the person in control of a motor vehicle and the person in control of a premises shall not suffer nor permit to be made or continued, any excessive noise. It shall be prima facie evidence of a violation of this section if noise emanating from any source, including, but not limited to, voices or other sounds caused or emitted by humans, is: (1) Audible beyond the property line of the premises from which it emanates between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. (2) Audible at a distance of 50 feet beyond the property line of the premises from which it emanates between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4935326; v86 updated 2026-06-16; through 06-16-2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 75-4A prohibits any person from making, continuing or permitting 'excessive noise,' defined at § 75-3 as sound that endangers or injures health or property or annoys or disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivity. , and any noise from a public street, park or place is prima facie violating if audible 50 feet from its source at any hour. Liability reaches beyond the person making the noise: the owner and the person in control of a motor vehicle, and the person in control of a premises, are each separately barred from suffering or permitting the excessive noise, so a landlord or vehicle owner can be cited even if a tenant or driver caused it.
and sunset, air conditioners, snow-clearing equipment, emergency generators and manufacturing operations, plus noise already regulated by separate sections on signaling devices, motor vehicles, construction, sound reproduction and City contractor work. A vehicle used to commit a violation under this section can be towed under § 111-75 of the Municipal Code.
Violations & Fines
Excessive-noise violations are punishable under § 13A-11's general Municipal Code Violations Bureau schedule: $25 for a first offense ($50 in default), $35 for a second ($70 default), and $65 for a third or later offense ($130 default), and a vehicle involved in the violation can be towed under § 111-75.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Rochester's quiet hours?
Is daytime noise regulated in Rochester too?
Can my landlord be cited for noise I make as a tenant?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rochester
How Rochester compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·New York rules heatmap·Compare Rochester to another location·View the New York noise ordinances overview
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