Winter Haven, FL Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

Sec. 12-39 of the Winter Haven Code adopts, essentially verbatim, the Polk County vehicle noise ordinance, Ord. No. 14-073, and applies it within Winter Haven's municipal boundaries under Ord. No. O-15-11. The section defines 'plainly audible' sound as anything produced by a radio or other mechanical or electrical sound-making device inside a motor vehicle, including a portable device, that a person with normal hearing can clearly hear from 50 feet or more away from the vehicle; 'unreasonably excessive' sound is defined the same way. Subsection (d) makes it unlawful for anyone who operates or occupies a motor vehicle to run or amplify such a device so the sound is unreasonably excessive.

Officers primarily detect a violation using their own unenhanced hearing, must have a direct line of sight and hearing to the vehicle, and do not need to identify the specific song, artist, or words being played; a rhythmic bass reverberating sound is enough to establish a violation. Penalties escalate under subsection (f): a first offense draws a $100 fine, a second offense $250, and a third or later offense $500. The section can be enforced by both the Polk County Sheriff's deputies countywide and by Winter Haven's own police officers within city limits.

When a municipality issues the citation, 80 percent of the resulting fine money goes to Winter Haven and 20 percent to the county; fines the Sheriff's Office collects go entirely to the county. A municipality can opt out of this section entirely by sending the county board a written letter, but nothing in the Winter Haven code as codified indicates the city has done so, and an annual report on the ordinance's effectiveness goes to the county commission.