St. Louis County, MO Public Conduct: Loud Party Ordinance (2026)
Key Facts
- Host liability section
- SLCRO §716.070
- Underlying noise offense
- SLCRO §716.073
- Audibility presumption
- Plainly audible past 50 feet
- Maximum penalty
- $1,000 fine and/or 1 year jail
- Exemptions
- Lawful concerts, emergency calls for help
Summary
A property owner or resident in unincorporated St. Louis County who lets a loud party get out of hand can be cited personally under §716.070, even if they aren't the one making noise. The section reaches conduct banned by §716.073, which outlaws music, shouting or any noise audible more than 50 feet away that disturbs a reasonable neighbor. Both carry up to a $1,000 fine and a year in jail.
A person shall not permit any conduct of the kind referred to in Section 716.060 or Section 716.073 in or upon any house or premises owned or possessed by him or under his management or control, so that others in vicinity are likely to be disturbed thereby. ... 716.073 - Public Disturbance of the Peace—Loud Noise.—1. It shall be unlawful to play any radio, music player such as a "boom box," tape cassette, disc player, television, audio system or musical instrument in a manner or at a volume that disturbs the peace of any other reasonable person... 2. It shall be unlawful to speak, shout, sing or create any noise at a volume that disturbs the peace of any other reasonable person... 3. ...it shall be presumed that any speech, song or noise... is disturbing to the peace of another reasonable person if the volume is such that it is plainly audible to persons more than fifty (50) feet away from the source of the noise.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 85 | Traffic: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
073 in or upon any house or premises owned or possessed by him or under his management or control, so that others in vicinity are likely to be disturbed thereby. That means a homeowner, tenant or landlord who knowingly allows a loud gathering to continue on their property answers for it even if a guest, not the host, is the one playing music or shouting. 073 defines the underlying loud-noise conduct: playing a radio, boom box, tape or disc player, television, audio system or musical instrument in a manner or at a volume that disturbs the peace of any other reasonable person, or speaking, shouting or singing at a disturbing volume, with a built-in evidentiary shortcut for police and prosecutors, a rebuttable presumption that the noise disturbs a reasonable person if it is plainly audible to persons more than fifty feet away from the source of the noise.
073. 180: a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment in the County Jail for up to a year, or both. St. Louis County Police officers, not a separate code-enforcement office, handle noise and party complaints in the unincorporated county, and a single loud gathering can generate a citation to both the reveler creating the noise and the property owner who let it continue.
Violations & Fines
Both permitting a disturbance under §716.070 and creating the underlying loud noise under §716.073 are punished the same way, under §716.180: a fine of up to $1,000, up to one year in the County Jail, or both. Police can rely on the fifty-foot audibility presumption in §716.073 to establish a violation without a decibel meter, and a property owner faces a separate citation from any guest who is also cited.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get in trouble for a party even if I'm not the one being loud?
How loud does noise have to be to violate the ordinance?
Are there exceptions to the loud noise rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Louis County
Compare St. Louis County to another location·View the Missouri public conduct overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.