St. Martin Parish, LA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in St. Martin Parish, LA, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Residential night limit
- 50 decibels, 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Residential day limit
- 60 decibels, 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- Commercial or industrial limit
- 70 decibels
- Amplified sound
- Not plainly audible 50 feet from source property line
- Penalty
- $100.00 to $500.00, up to 30 days, or both
- Code sections
- St. Martin Parish Code §§ 26-37, 26-40
Summary
In unincorporated St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, continuous sound on residential property cannot exceed 60 decibels from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. or 50 decibels from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Commercial and industrial property carries a flat 70 decibel limit. A violation brings a fine of $100.00 to $500.00, up to 30 days in jail, or both.
(a)Continuous sound. No person shall cause, suffer, allow, or permit the operation of any source of sound on any source property in such a manner as to create a sound level that exceeds the following sound level limits, as measured at any location at or within the property line of the receptor property:(1)For any property zoned residential, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., inclusively, no continuous sound shall exceed 60 decibels.(2)For any property zoned residential, between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., no continuous sound shall exceed 50 decibels.(3)For any property zoned commercial or industrial, no continuous sound shall exceed 70 decibels. ... Whoever violates the terms and provisions of this article shall be fined not less than $100.00, nor more than $500.00, imprisoned for not more than 30 days, or both.
Full Breakdown
The parish noise article sets numeric sound limits keyed to the hour and to the zoning of the property that receives the sound. Under Sec. 26-37(a), continuous sound on property zoned residential cannot exceed 60 decibels between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., inclusively, and cannot exceed 50 decibels between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Property zoned commercial or industrial has a single limit of 70 decibels, with no separate night figure. Readings are taken at or within the property line of the receptor property, meaning the lot that hears the noise, not the lot that makes it.
Short bursts get their own test. Under Sec. 26-37(b)(2), between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. impulsive sounds that occur fewer than four times in an hour cannot equal or exceed 20 decibels above the Sec. 26-37(a) level, and impulsive sounds that repeat four or more times in any hour cannot exceed the Sec. 26-37(a) level at all. In the daytime the dividing line is ten times an hour.
When the complaint is about bass from amplified music, the measurement moves inside the complainant's residence. On weeknights between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the music can raise the total sound level by no more than three decibels, and the same three decibel cap applies on weekend nights from 11:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. Sec. 26-34 defines a weekday as beginning Sunday at 8:00 p.m. and ending Friday at 6:00 p.m., and a weekend as running from Friday at 6:00 p.m. to Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Separately, Sec. 26-37(e) bars amplified sound that is plainly audible 50 feet from any property line of the source property, and no meter reading is required.
Sec. 26-36 applies the article to sound originating from or received by property in the unincorporated areas of St. Martin Parish, regardless of land use or zoning classification. Sec. 26-38 exempts listed sources, including public celebrations such as Mardi Gras and the Crawfish Festival, and events operating within the time and volume parameters of a variance issued by the St. Martin Parish Council.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 26-40 sets one penalty for the whole noise article: a fine of not less than $100.00 and not more than $500.00, imprisonment for not more than 30 days, or both. The same range applies whether the violation is a 50 decibel overnight reading, an impulsive sound, or amplified music audible at 50 feet.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours count as nighttime in unincorporated St. Martin Parish?
Can a neighbor's loud music be cited without a decibel meter?
Are festivals and public events exempt from the sound limits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Martin Parish
Compare St. Martin Parish to another location·View the Louisiana noise ordinances overview
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