Duluth, MN Public Conduct: Loud Party Ordinance (2026)

Duluth Legislative Code section 34-5, Disturbing the Neighborhood, targets recurring party locations rather than a single loud night. Subsection (a) bars any person in the city from keeping a dwelling, gaming area, party room, or meeting area that attracts people to the neighborhood at times or in a manner such that their arrival, their leaving, or their activities while present result in an unreasonable disturbance of the usual peace, quiet, comfort or decency of the neighborhood. Subsection (b) extends liability to the property owner or agent: letting a building or portion of one while knowing it is intended for a purpose the section prohibits, or permitting a building to continue being used for such a purpose, is itself a violation, effectively imposing host and landlord liability for chronic party locations.

The section's roots go back to an 1885 ordinance and it was renumbered under Ord. No. 8451 in 1979 and most recently amended by Ord. No. 10896 on July 29, 2024. A violation is a misdemeanor offense carrying a sentence of not more than 90 days, a fine of not more than $1,000, or both. This sits alongside but is distinct from the broader disorderly conduct ban in section 34-6, which covers a single incident of loud music, shouting or reveling that disturbs a specific neighboring dwelling.