St. Lucie County, FL Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in St. Lucie County, FL, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Nighttime residential limit
- 55 dBA, 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Daytime residential limit
- 60 dBA, 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- Commercial and industrial limits
- 65 dBA and 70 dBA at all times
- Multifamily dwelling
- 50 dBA day, 40 dBA night, from neighbor's dwelling
- Mixed use building
- 55 dBA day, 45 dBA night, in residential portion
- Where measured
- Real property line of the nearest receiving property
- Exempt construction hours
- 7:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. weekdays, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Saturday
Summary
St. Lucie County sets quiet hours by decibel level. From 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., sound reaching a residential property line cannot exceed 55 dBA, down from 60 dBA between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Commercial neighbors are held to 65 dBA and industrial neighbors to 70 dBA at all times, all measured at the nearest receiving property's line under Section 28-110.
No person shall cause, suffer, allow, or permit the operation of any sound source in such a manner as to create a sound level that exceeds the sound level limits set forth in the table in this section when measured at the real property line of the nearest receiving property, using the slow response setting unless otherwise noted. Such a sound source would constitute a noise disturbance. SOUND LEVEL LIMITS BY RECEIVING PROPERTY Receiving Property Category Time Sound Level Limit (dBA) Residential 7:00 a.m.—10:00 p.m. 60 10:00 p.m.—7:00 a.m. 55 Commercial At all times 65 Industrial At all times 70 (1) If the noise is an impulsive sound, the fast response setting that shall be used and the daytime (7:00 a.m. through 10:00 p.m.) limits of the table shall be increased by ten dBA. (2) In a multifamily dwelling, it shall be unlawful to create or permit to be created any noise that exceeds the daytime (7:00 a.m. through 10:00 p.m.) limit of 50 dBA and the nighttime (10:00 p.m. through 7:00 a.m.) limit of 40 dBA, as measured from a neighbor's dwelling.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 32 | Land Development Code: Supplement 36).
Full Breakdown
Section 28-110 of the St. Lucie County Code of Ordinances works on a meter reading, not a bedtime rule. No person can cause, suffer, allow, or permit a sound source to create a level above the table limits when measured at the real property line of the nearest receiving property, using the slow response setting unless the code says otherwise. A source that breaks the table is a noise disturbance. Residential property gets 60 dBA from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and 55 dBA from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Commercial receiving property gets 65 dBA at all times and industrial gets 70 dBA at all times.
Four footnotes adjust the table. An impulsive sound, defined in Section 28-108 as a sound under 1 second long with an abrupt onset and rapid decay, is read on the fast response setting and the daytime limits rise by ten dBA. Inside a multifamily dwelling, noise cannot exceed 50 dBA by day or 40 dBA at night as measured from a neighbor's dwelling. In a mixed use building the limits are 55 dBA by day and 45 dBA at night, measured within the residential portion. Any source that impacts residential property must also keep the octave bands centered at 31.5, 63 and 125 Hertz at or below 65 dB, which targets bass from sound systems.
Section 28-109 decides which column applies. Any premises with habitually occupied sleeping quarters counts as residential, and so do hospitals, nursing homes, schools, libraries, churches and all institutional uses. In cases of multiple use the more restrictive category prevails, and an unclassified area follows commercial standards. Readings use a Type 1 or Type 2 sound level meter under ANSI S1.4-1983 or its latest version.
Section 28-111 carves out exemptions. Lawn and landscape maintenance is exempt from sunrise to sunset. Permitted construction is exempt from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday for permits issued on or after December 6, 2006, and work outside those hours needs a special permit under Section 28-112. Weekday excludes legal holidays, which the code lists as New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Aircraft, boat engines, emergency work and agricultural activity in AG-1, AG-2.5, AG-5 and AR-1 districts are also exempt.
Violations & Fines
Section 28-110 makes it a noise disturbance, and unlawful to cause, suffer, allow, or permit it, when a sound source tops the table limits at the nearest receiving property line. That wording reaches the person running the equipment and the person who lets it run. The noise article as printed here lists no fine schedule of its own. Breaking the terms of a construction special permit makes the permit holder and the violator jointly and severally liable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the nighttime noise limit in unincorporated St. Lucie County?
Do the limits change in an apartment or mixed use building?
Can contractors run noisy work early, late or on Sundays?
How do I get relief from the limits for a temporary event?
Is lawn mowing covered by the quiet hours?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Lucie County
How St. Lucie County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Florida rules heatmap·Compare St. Lucie County to another location·View the Florida noise ordinances overview
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