Smyrna, TN Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Smyrna, TN, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Overnight window
- 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. in § 11-401(1)(b) and (1)(c)
- General ban
- Unreasonably loud, disturbing, and unnecessary noise, any hour
- Street noise
- Yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling, singing on public streets
- Residential construction
- 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. weekdays; 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday
- Decibel limit
- None printed in § 11-401
- Penalty
- General penalty provision; each day a separate violation
Summary
The Town of Smyrna, Tennessee has no single quiet-hours curfew. Section 11-401 bans unreasonably loud, disturbing, and unnecessary noise at all times and singles out 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. for yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling, or singing on public streets and for sound devices.
Subject to the provisions of this section, the creating of any unreasonably loud, disturbing, and unnecessary noise is prohibited. Noise of such character, intensity, or duration as to be detrimental to the life or health of any individual, or in disturbance of the public peace and welfare, is prohibited. ... (c)Yelling, shouting, hooting, and the like. Yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling, or singing on the public streets, particularly between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., or at any time or place so as to annoy or disturb the quiet, comfort, or repose of any person in any hospital, dwelling, hotel, or other type of residence, or of any person in the vicinity;
Full Breakdown
Quiet hours in Smyrna come from the anti-noise section, § 11-401 of the Municipal Code, adopted by the Town Council. It works on two levels. The opening sentences apply at every hour: the creating of any unreasonably loud, disturbing, and unnecessary noise is prohibited, and so is noise of such character, intensity, or duration as to be detrimental to the life or health of any individual, or in disturbance of the public peace and welfare.
The enumerated examples then name the overnight window. Subsection (1)(c) covers yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling, or singing on the public streets, particularly between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., or at any time or place so as to annoy or disturb the quiet, comfort, or repose of any person in any hospital, dwelling, hotel, or other type of residence, or of any person in the vicinity. Subsection (1)(b) uses the same 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. window for radios, instruments, and amplified sound devices. The word 'particularly' marks the window as the time of greatest concern, not as the only time the rules apply, and the section prints no decibel limit.
Other enumerated items add their own clocks. Building operations in residential areas are limited to 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, and commercial garbage pick-up is barred from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. on weekdays and 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, except on commercial or industrial parcels. Subsection (1)(d) also reaches any animal, bird, or fowl kept so that frequent or long continued noise disturbs the comfort or repose of any person in the vicinity, and (1)(i) covers excessive noise on a street adjacent to a hospital, school, church, or court while in session.
Violations & Fines
Section 11-402 subjects a violator to a penalty under the general penalty provision of the Smyrna Municipal Code, and each day an offense occurs is a separate violation. A household that keeps up the same late-night noise on consecutive nights can be charged for each night. The section prints no dollar amount of its own.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are quiet hours in Smyrna?
Can I be cited for noise before 11:00 p.m. in Smyrna?
Does Smyrna set a decibel limit for nighttime noise?
Do barking dogs count under the quiet rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Smyrna
How Smyrna compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Smyrna to another location·View the Tennessee noise ordinances overview
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Quiet Hours in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Rutherford County handle quiet hours.