Quiet hours in Sioux Falls, SD — also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time — define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Sioux Falls Code Chapter 93 sets nighttime quiet hours of 10:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. and caps stationary residential sound at 50 dB(A) at night (60 dB(A) day) measured at the property boundary. Amplified devices that are 'plainly audible' across a property line during those hours are a separate per-se violation under § 93.002(b)(2)B.
Sioux Falls regulates noise under Chapter 93 (Noise Regulations) of the Code of Ordinances, not a single 'quiet hours' rule. The framework has two layers: (1) decibel-based limits set by § 93.003 USE DISTRICT NOISE LEVELS, and (2) per-se 'plainly audible' prohibitions in § 93.002 NOISES PROHIBITED. For receiving residential property, the 90th-percentile sound pressure level (L90) measured at the property boundary or any point on the affected property may not exceed 60 dB(A) between 6:00 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. or 55 dB(A) between 10:30 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. (commercial: 65 dB(A) at all times; industrial: 75 dB(A) at all times; noise-sensitive zones near schools/hospitals/courts: 50 dB(A) night / 60 dB(A) day). Measurements use an A-weighted sound level meter under § 93.004 with a minimum ten-minute measurement window. Independently, § 93.002(b)(2)B makes it unlawful to operate any radio, TV, phonograph, drum, musical instrument or similar device between 10:30 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. in a manner plainly audible at the property boundary, 50 feet from a parked vehicle, or 100 feet from a moving vehicle — no decibel reading required. Tonal, cyclic or repetitive impulse sounds get a 5 dB(A) penalty (the limit is reduced by 5). Loading/unloading boxes, crates, garbage containers or similar between 10:30 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. is separately prohibited under § 93.002(b)(5). The home-rule city's authority traces back to SDCL § 9-29-1 (municipal general-welfare police power) and is backstopped statewide by SDCL § 22-18-35 (disorderly conduct — unreasonable loud noise, Class 2 misdemeanor).
Enforcement is shared between the Sioux Falls Health Department and the Police Department under § 93.009. § 93.010 also declares any violation of §§ 93.002–93.008 to be a nuisance subject to summary abatement by injunction. Penalty is set by the general penalty in § 10.999 (Class 2 misdemeanor under the South Dakota schedule adopted by reference: up to 30 days in jail and/or a $500 fine per offense, plus court costs). Repeat violations may trigger compliance review and revocation of any held sound permit.
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