Quiet hours in St. Louis, MO — also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time — define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
St. Louis enforces nighttime quiet hours from 10 PM to 7 AM under the St. Louis Revised Code (SLRC) Chapter 15.42. Sound that is plainly audible beyond 50 feet of a dwelling during those hours is presumptively unreasonable and can trigger a citation from the Citizens Service Bureau or SLMPD.
St. Louis City regulates noise through SLRC Chapter 15.42 (Noise Regulation), which supplements Missouri Revised Statute 574.010 (peace disturbance, a Class B misdemeanor carrying up to a $500 fine and six months in jail). The ordinance establishes prohibited hours of 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM weekdays and 11:00 PM to 8:00 AM on weekends during which sound must not be plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet from the source, or across a residential property line. Enforcement in the 79 neighborhoods of St. Louis is primarily complaint-driven through the Citizens Service Bureau (CSB) at 314-622-4800 or dial 311. Officers can measure sound with a decibel meter and issue summons returnable to the St. Louis Municipal Court at the Carnahan Courthouse. Repeat offenders face escalating fines, and chronic nuisance properties can be declared a public nuisance under SLRC 15.42.040. Dense historic neighborhoods like Soulard, Benton Park, the Central West End, and Lafayette Square generate the bulk of residential noise complaints due to courtyard acoustics and masonry row-house construction.
First offense typically $100-$200. Repeat violations within 12 months escalate to $500. RSMo 574.010 peace disturbance charges possible for aggravated incidents.
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