Tampa, FL Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Tampa, FL, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Curfew hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. citywide
- Audibility threshold
- Plainly audible 100+ feet from property line
- Warning required
- 5-minute warning before first citation
- First-offense fine
- $150 Class II civil infraction
- Repeat fines
- $300 second, $450 third or later
- Special-district carve-out
- Ybor City/Arena District use separate dBA limits
Summary
Tampa Code § 14-154 makes noise that's plainly audible 100 feet or more from a property line between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. presumptively unlawful. Officers cite after a five-minute warning, and repeat violations are Class II offenses with fines escalating under § 23.5-5. Ybor City and the Arena District use a separate decibel table instead.
Prima facie evidence. Between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. it shall be prima facie evidence that the sound (whether recurrent, intermittent, or continuous) is unreasonably loud and raucous if the sound is plainly audible a minimum of one hundred (100) feet from the property line of the source of the sound at or within any receiving property.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 148).
Full Breakdown
Section 14-154 makes it unlawful to 'permit, cause, allow, create, emit, or sustain unreasonably excessive noise from a property' anywhere in Tampa outside the Ybor City Historic District and the Arena District, which are governed separately by § 14-153's decibel limits. , sound 'plainly audible a minimum of one hundred (100) feet from the property line of the source' at a receiving property is prima facie unreasonably loud and raucous, so the city need not prove a specific decibel reading to cite it. During the day, officers instead weigh factors under subsections (c) and (d), whether sound is audible inside an enclosed structure, causes vibration or rattling, and how long it lasts, and can act on a sworn complaint documenting time, duration, distance, and prior complaint history.
5-5 at $150 for a first offense, $300 for a second, and $450 for a third or subsequent offense. Section 14-157 separately declares excessive noise a public nuisance the city attorney may sue to abate, and § 14-158 exempts permitted special events, school and sports-complex activities, and reasonable lawn-care equipment.
Violations & Fines
A first § 14-154 citation after the mandatory five-minute warning is a $150 Class II civil infraction; a second offense is $300 and a third or subsequent offense is $450, per § 23.5-5. The city attorney can also sue under § 14-157 to abate the noise as a public nuisance, and three or more citations at one address in six months can trigger Public Nuisance Abatement Board proceedings under § 14-293(c)(6).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tampa have set quiet hours?
What happens on a first noise complaint?
Do Ybor City and the Arena District follow this rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tampa
How Tampa compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Tampa to another location·View the Florida noise ordinances overview
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