Killeen, TX Public Conduct: Loud Party Ordinance (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Cumulative noise disturbing anyone in range
- Applies
- Public or private property, any time
- Host liability
- Adult resident present at time of offense
- Guest liability
- Adult guest/trespasser able to control noise
- Enforcement tool
- Administrative stop order, Sec. 16-81(a)
- Penalty
- $100-$2,000 first offense, Sec. 16-82
- Mental state
- Not required, Sec. 16-83
Summary
A gathering of any size on public or private property is an unlawful noise nuisance in Killeen once its cumulative noise, from voices, music or both, unreasonably disturbs anyone within hearing range, under City Code Sec. 16-78(a)(2). At a private residence, any adult resident present, or an adult guest able to control the noise, can be cited under Sec. 16-81(b)(1).
(2)The gathering, on public or private property, of any number of persons at any time, when the cumulative noise of the gathering, whether from human voices or other sources, or from a combination of human voices and other sources, causes unreasonable disturbance to any person or animal located within the range of hearing of such gathering. ... At private residences. Any adult resident present at the time of the offense, and any adult guest or adult trespasser with the ability to control the level of noise at the time of the offense when no adult resident is present at the time of the offense.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 38 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 16-78(a)(2) does not set a headcount or a decibel number for a party; it targets the cumulative effect of any number of people gathered, from human voices, other sources, or a combination, once that combined noise causes unreasonable disturbance to a person or animal within hearing range, on public or private property, at any time of day. Sec. 16-81(b)(1) fixes who answers for it at a private residence: any adult resident present when the offense happens, or, if no adult resident is present, an adult guest or trespasser with the ability to control the noise level.
Sec. 16-81(e) lets an officer establish probable cause either from a complainant's own physical sense perception of the disturbance at the time it is happening, from a sound-level-meter reading exceeding the article's stated limits under Sec. 16-79, or from a combination of both, so a host can be cited even without a meter reading if a neighbor's testimony and the officer's own observation support it. Sec. 16-81(a) also gives the building official, or a designated noise abatement officer, authority to issue an administrative stop order to immediately halt the sound, backed by a court injunction if the order is not obeyed within five days. Sec. , adding the separate nighttime-audibility restriction to whatever cumulative-disturbance citation the gathering itself already faces.
Violations & Fines
A first conviction under this article runs $100 to $2,000 under Sec. 16-82, rising to a $250 minimum for a second conviction within twelve months, still capped at $2,000. Sec. 16-83 removes any culpable-mental-state requirement, so the city does not have to prove the host or guest meant to disturb anyone. A peace officer can arrest or cite any violator present at the gathering under Sec. 16-78(b).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be cited for a loud party in Killeen even if I'm just a guest?
Does Killeen's loud-gathering rule only apply at night?
What can Killeen do to stop a party in progress?
Does a complaint have to include a decibel reading before Killeen cites a loud gathering?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Killeen
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Killeen to another location·View the Texas public conduct overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.