Southfield, MI Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Southfield, MI, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Nighttime hours flagged
- 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Covered sound sources
- Radio, TV, phonograph, musical instruments
- Street noise
- Yelling, shouting, whistling barred 11 p.m.-7 a.m.
- Daytime disturbance
- Still barred if it disturbs schools/homes
- Enforcement type
- Municipal civil infraction
- First-offense fine
- Up to $500
Summary
In the City of Southfield, City Code Sec. 9.11(9) and (10) bar radios, televisions, phonographs and musical instruments played at disturbing volume, and yelling, shouting or whistling on public streets, specifically flagging the hours of 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. as the window when such noise is treated as a nuisance.
(9)Radio and musical instruments. The playing of any radio, television set, phonograph or any musical instrument in such a manner or with such volume, particularly during 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 persons in any office or in any dwelling, hotel or other type of residence, or of any persons in the vicinity;(10)Shouting and whistling. Yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing or the making of any other loud noise on the public streets between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., or the making of any such noise at any time so as to annoy or disturb the quiet, comfort or repose of persons in any school, place of worship or office or in any dwelling, hotel or other type of residence, or of any persons in the vicinity;
Full Breakdown
Southfield's noise control article sets its nighttime curfew across two paired subsections of Sec. 9.11. Subsection (9), Radio and musical instruments, makes it unlawful to play any radio, television set, phonograph or musical instrument in a manner or at a volume that annoys or disturbs the quiet, comfort or repose of persons in an office, dwelling, hotel or other residence, or of persons in the vicinity, particularly during the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Subsection (10), Shouting and whistling, separately bars yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling, singing or any other loud noise on the public streets between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., and bars the same conduct at any time if it disturbs persons in a school, place of worship, office, dwelling, hotel or residence in the vicinity.
Both subsections apply the general standard of Sec. 9.10, which declares loud or unusual noises offending the peace and quiet of persons of ordinary sensibilities to be public nuisances, and both are municipal civil infractions under Sec. 1.704, which lists Sec. 9.11 among the enforceable provisions. Emergency vehicles are exempted from Sec. 9.11 under Sec. 9.12(1) regardless of the hour.
Violations & Fines
A first civil infraction for a nighttime noise violation carries a fine of up to $500 plus costs under Sec. 1.703(a)(1); a second or later violation of the same provision within three years carries a fine of $150 to $500 plus costs. Each night of continued violation is charged as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play music loudly in my Southfield backyard after 11 p.m.?
Is shouting on a Southfield sidewalk at midnight a violation?
Does the quiet-hours rule apply during the day too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Southfield
How Southfield compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Compare Southfield to another location·View the Michigan noise ordinances overview
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Quiet Hours in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Oakland County handle quiet hours.