Quiet hours in Wauwatosa, WI — also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time — define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Wauwatosa Municipal Code Chapter 7.46 (Noise) within Title 7 prohibits unreasonably loud, disturbing noise that injures the health, peace, or comfort of others, backstopped by Wisconsin Statute 947.01 disorderly conduct for boisterous or unreasonably loud conduct. Commercial refuse collection is barred within 200 feet of residential zones between 9:00 PM and 7:00 AM.
Wauwatosa's noise framework lives in Title 7 (Public Peace, Safety and Morals), Chapter 7.46 of the Municipal Code. The chapter prohibits unreasonably loud, disturbing, or unnecessary noise that injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace, or safety of others within the city. The ordinance is enforced primarily through a plainly audible and reasonable person standard rather than a single citywide decibel curfew. A specific commercial provision restricts refuse and recycling collection within 200 feet of any residential zoning district to the hours of 7:00 AM through 9:00 PM. Wisconsin Statute 947.01(1) backstops local enforcement by criminalizing boisterous or unreasonably loud conduct that tends to cause or provoke a disturbance as a Class B misdemeanor. Wauwatosa Police Department non-emergency dispatch (414-471-8430) handles party, music, and barking complaints, and officers may issue municipal citations under Chapter 7.46 or refer for state disorderly-conduct charges. Construction and motor vehicle noise are addressed through separate provisions in Title 7 and the building code. Repeat or commercial violations can carry escalating forfeitures under the city's general penalty schedule in Chapter 1.16.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Milwaukee County.
See how other cities in Milwaukee County handle quiet hours.
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