Albany, OR Public Conduct: Loud Party Ordinance (2026)
Key Facts
- Quiet hours
- 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Group size
- Any number of persons, public or private premises
- Audibility test
- Plainly audible inside a dwelling unit that is not the source
- First offense
- Warning issued to the location, in writing or orally
- Maximum penalty
- Violation up to $1,000; misdemeanor up to $2,500 or one year
- Late-event permit
- City Manager or designee, under § 7.08.050(2)
Summary
In the City of Albany, Oregon, gathering people on public or private premises and making noise from their collective voices between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. breaks Albany Municipal Code § 7.08.050(1)(n) when the noise is plainly audible inside a dwelling unit that is not the source. The first offense at a location draws a warning, either written or oral.
It is unlawful for any person to create, assist in creating, permit, continue, or permit the continuance of any loud, disturbing, or unnecessary noise in the City. ... (A) As used in this subsection and subsection (1)(n) of this section, “plainly audible” means any sound for which the information content of that sound is unambiguously communicated to the listener, such as, but not limited to, understandable spoken speech, comprehension of whether a voice is raised or normal, or comprehensible musical rhythm or vocal sounds. ... (n) The gathering of any number of persons upon premises, whether public or private, and the creation of noise from the collective voices of such persons between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. that is plainly audible within any dwelling unit that is not the source of the sound; and (i) Upon first offense, location shall be issued a warning, either in writing or orally.
Full Breakdown
Albany Municipal Code § 7.08.050 opens with a flat ban on creating, assisting in creating, permitting, continuing, or permitting the continuance of any loud, disturbing, or unnecessary noise in the City. Subsection (1) then lists acts declared to be violations and states that the list is not exclusive. The party rule is subsection (1)(n): the gathering of any number of persons upon premises, whether public or private, together with noise from their collective voices between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. that is plainly audible within a dwelling unit that is not the source of the sound. The code sets no head count, so a handful of guests on a porch and a crowd in a backyard fall under the same words.
The test is applied from the complaining neighbor's side of the wall. Subsection (1)(m)(A) defines plainly audible as any sound whose information content is unambiguously communicated to the listener, such as understandable spoken speech, comprehension of whether a voice is raised or normal, or comprehensible musical rhythm or vocal sounds. No decibel reading is required. Because the opening sentence also reaches anyone who permits or continues the noise, a host who lets a gathering carry on is covered by the same language as the loudest guest.
Amplified music has its own line in subsection (1)(m): a radio, instrument, or speaker that is plainly audible inside a closed dwelling unit that is not the source between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., or at a distance of 50 feet from the source. Subsection (1)(o) requires a permit before using a loudspeaker or sound truck to advertise a play, festival, picnic, or other event.
Under subsection (2), the City Manager or a designee can issue a permit for activity otherwise prohibited outside the specified time limits if public health, safety, and welfare will not be impaired and there are compelling reasons for the request. The permit can carry reasonable conditions, including limits on hours, and can be denied or revoked by notice, effective immediately. A neighbor dispute about ordinary daytime talk is outside this rule; the gathering clause is tied to the 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. window in the City of Albany, Oregon.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 7.08 prints no penalty of its own, so AMC § 1.04.010 supplies it: a violation carries a civil penalty of not more than $1,000, and a misdemeanor carries a fine of not more than $2,500 or imprisonment not to exceed one year, or both. Under AMC § 1.04.020 the City Attorney declares whether the case proceeds as a violation or a misdemeanor, and it proceeds as a violation unless the City Attorney says otherwise. Every day or portion of a day is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours does Albany's gathering noise rule cover?
Does Albany warn a household before penalizing a loud party?
Does the rule apply to a party held on private property?
Can I get a permit to run a late event in Albany?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Albany
Compare Albany to another location·View the Oregon public conduct overview
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