Georgetown, KY Public Conduct: Loud Party Ordinance (2026)

Georgetown Code § 28-34(b)(2) assigns responsibility for party noise. It sits in Chapter 28, Article II (Noise), under the 'Express prohibitions' list in subsection (b), which opens: 'The following acts are noise disturbances.'

The paragraph is titled 'Parties and other social events.' It applies when the source of the proscribed noise is a private party or social event. In that case the responsible person for the offense is any or all of three people: the owner of the premises, the occupant of the premises, or the person authorized to make use of the premises for such event. The use of 'any or all' means a landlord who owns the property, a tenant who lives there, and a guest or host authorized to use the premises for the event can each be named, so liability is not limited to whoever is playing the music.

The noise itself is measured by the article's plainly audible standard in § 28-34(a). Noise is 'loud and unreasonable' when a reasonable person of normal sensitivities, using unaided hearing, can hear it at the times and distances the article sets. The paragraphs on sound devices and on other sources, including human voices, use the same tests: plainly audible through walls separating dwelling units within the same multifamily building, within a dwelling unit on another property, from the right-of-way into a dwelling unit, or at a distance of 50 feet or greater from the source.

Under § 28-36, a violation is a criminal violation enforced by uniform citation by a police officer or citation officer. The penalty schedule is $50.00 for a first offense, $100.00 for a second offense within 12 months, and $200.00 for a third and subsequent offenses within 12 months. Section 28-35 exempts special events permitted by the appropriate agency and noise on government-owned property under permit conditions.