Tallahassee, FL Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Tallahassee, FL, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Citation
- § 12-94(b)
- Urban Core curfew
- 2:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Outside Urban Core
- 100-ft standard, any hour
- Audibility threshold
- 100 feet to officer
- Fine schedule
- $250/$350/$500 escalating
- Voluntary compliance window
- 5 minutes after notice
Summary
Tallahassee Code of General Ordinances § 12-94(b) sets a nighttime noise curfew inside the mapped Urban Core: any sound unreasonably loud, raucous, or jarring and plainly audible to an officer at 100 feet or more is unlawful between 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Outside the Urban Core, the same audibility standard applies at any hour of the day under § 12-94(a).
(b)Within Urban Core—Generally. It shall be unlawful and a violation of this section to make, cause or allow the making of any sound that constitutes a noise disturbance within the Urban Core between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Within the Urban Core, a noise disturbance shall be such sound which is unreasonably loud, raucous or jarring to a reasonable person of normal sensitivities when plainly audible to an officer at 100 feet or greater.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Land Development Code: Supplement 75 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 75).
Full Breakdown
Section 12-94(b), "Within Urban Core: Generally," only restricts hours; the sound test itself comes from § 12-93's definition of "noise disturbance" and "plainly audible," meaning a police or code enforcement officer detects it with unaided hearing at 100 feet or more. ; outside the Urban Core, § 12-94(a) applies the identical 100-foot standard around the clock instead of a fixed curfew window. A separate, tighter rule in § 12-94(c) governs alcohol-serving establishments' outdoor amplified sound and is not part of this general curfew. m. on Sunday, nonamplified voices and public assemblies, emergency vehicles and generators, and sounds from government-owned equipment.
Enforcement follows § 12-96: an officer must first attempt to notify the responsible party, who gets a five-minute voluntary-compliance window before a citation issues, unless the same person or property was cited in the prior six months, in which case notice and the compliance window are skipped. 00 for a third or later, and a violation can recur every 15 minutes the sound continues after notice.
Violations & Fines
A citation for breaching the 2:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. Urban Core curfew (or the round-the-clock standard outside it) carries $250.00 for a first violation, $350.00 for a second, and $500.00 for a third or subsequent violation under § 12-96. Officers must normally offer a five-minute voluntary-compliance window before citing, except where the same person or property was already cited within the prior six months, which removes that grace period and allows an immediate citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours does the Tallahassee quiet-hours rule cover?
Does the curfew apply citywide or just downtown?
Do officers give a warning before citing?
What activities are exempt from the noise curfew?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tallahassee
How Tallahassee compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Tallahassee to another location·View the Florida noise ordinances overview
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