Quiet hours in Rowlett, TX — also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time — define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Rowlett's noise ordinance (Code of Ordinances Chapter 22, Article V) sets lower nighttime sound limits from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. In residential areas the cap drops from 65 dBA (daytime, L10) to 60 dBA at night, and outdoor power equipment is banned in residential zones between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. (9:00 a.m. on Sundays).
Rowlett does not use a single bright-line 'quiet hours' curfew but instead lowers its measured sound limits at night and bans certain noisy activities during overnight hours. Under Sec. 22-204, stationary noise sources measured five feet inside the receiving property line in a residential district may not exceed 65 dBA during the L10 measurement (the level exceeded 10 percent of the time) from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., dropping to 60 dBA from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. A reduced 60 dBA cap also applies Sunday mornings from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. Companion 90th-percentile (L90) limits are 55 dBA day and 50 dBA night in residential zones. Separately, Sec. 22-205(7) makes it a violation to operate power equipment outdoors in residential zones between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. (9:00 a.m. on Sundays). At all hours, noise that 'unreasonably disturbs or interferes with the peace, comfort, and repose of neighboring persons of ordinary sensibilities' is independently prohibited. The Department of Planning and Environmental Services has primary enforcement responsibility (Sec. 22-207). Where state law fixes a penalty, Texas Penal Code Sec. 42.01 (disorderly conduct) also reaches unreasonable noise near a residence.
Noise violations under Chapter 22 are punishable under the city's general penalty, Sec. 1-13, by a fine not exceeding $500.00 where no other penalty is fixed, and each day a violation continues is a separate offense. The city may also pursue nuisance abatement and other remedies. Officers commonly seek voluntary compliance before issuing a citation.
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