Noise Ordinances in Wisconsin (2026)

Ashwaubenon bans loud or disturbing sounds village-wide and adds a hard curfew between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.: no noise…

Brown County Code Chapter 39 (revised 5-1-2002) sets daytime and nighttime sound pressure limits for unincorporated…

De Pere bars lawn mowers, garden tools, riding tractors and similar power equipment from running between 10:00 p.m. and…

Kenosha's noise ordinance sets a citywide 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. quiet period during which radios, TVs, musical…

Running a radio, phonograph, or similar sound device in Little Chute so it's audible at your property line between 10…

Madison has no clock-based curfew for everyday noise; instead MGO § 24.04(1)-(2) bans any noise that 'unreasonably…

City of Middleton Municipal Code § 16.05(2) bans noise that unreasonably disturbs the peace, restricts heavy…

Milton's general noise ban in Code § 70-4(a) prohibits any loud and unnecessary noise at any hour, and subsection…

Milwaukee's noise code defines night as 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. and cuts the allowable noise level in residential districts…

Mosinee treats any radio, phonograph or similar sound device that is plainly audible at the property line between 10:00…

Neenah caps residential sound at 60 dBA from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. and bars yelling or shouting in residential areas during…

Oneida County-owned campgrounds run on a hard 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. quiet period under General Code § 14.18(4)(a)1…

In Rothschild's residential zones, power tools must go quiet by 9 p.m. and stay quiet until 6 a.m., while lawn mowers…

Sun Prairie sets a ten p.m. to seven a.m. quiet-hours standard: a radio, phonograph or similar device that is plainly…

Washington County bans loud or disturbing noise near any public street, alley, park or private residence, and treats a…

Waukesha declares any noise that unreasonably disturbs the peace and quiet of nearby persons a public nuisance…

Waukesha County sets no countywide quiet-hours ordinance; your city, village or town does. In unincorporated towns the…

West Allis sets a nighttime noise curfew: between 10 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., noise audible inside a residential dwelling…

Green Bay defines nighttime hours as 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and weighs that timing as a factor in noise complaints, rather…

Winnebago County has no general nighttime noise curfew, but at its Sunnyview Exposition Center campground it closes to…

Beloit bars hammers, power tools, and power-driven lawn or garden equipment between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under Code…

Brown County exempts construction sites and public-works projects from its daytime noise-level caps, but the equipment…

Burlington bars operating construction machinery, equipment or tools between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. as a per se noise…

De Pere exempts construction and public-utility work from its noise limits only during daytime hours, Monday through…

Fitchburg, Wisconsin bars construction noise, including excavating, grading, building or erecting a structure, between…

Construction noise in Green Bay is presumed reasonable only during daytime hours, 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Monday…

Kenosha exempts construction sites, public utilities and public works projects from the Table 1 decibel limits only…

Little Chute confines loud building work and construction equipment to 7 a.m.-10 p.m. on weekdays, and caps equipment…

Madison restricts noisy construction equipment to 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. on Sunday…

Middleton bars heavy construction equipment operation to weekdays and Saturdays between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m…

Construction and infrastructure work that makes loud or unusual noise, pile drivers, jackhammers, excavation…

Construction sites and public works are exempt from Milwaukee's daytime noise limits only from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday…

Mosinee limits noisy construction work under Code § 54-193(b)(7) and (d)(2): general construction and equipment noise…

Neenah bars construction, demolition, building repair, and street or highway excavation noise outside 7:00 a.m. to 7:00…

Construction equipment in Rothschild can run only between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., a village-wide rule under Code §…

Construction, demolition and building repair noise in Sun Prairie is confined to seven a.m. to nine p.m. daily under…

Washington County limits noisy construction, demolition, alteration or repair work, including pile drivers, excavating…

Wauwatosa bars loud or disturbing construction noise between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and at…

West Allis treats construction noise as presumptively reasonable only between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.; work outside…

In unincorporated Winnebago County towns under the town/county zoning code, equipment that loads, moves, or processes…

Appleton declares it a public nuisance to keep or harbor any animal or fowl whose frequent or habitual howling…

Keeping or harboring a dog whose frequent or habitual barking, howling or yelping greatly annoys or disturbs a…

Beloit treats a dog or other animal that habitually howls, yelps, barks or crows as a noise violation under Code §…

Dane County Code ch. 47.19 bars anyone owning, renting, leasing, operating or occupying a building or premises from…

De Pere treats a dog or other animal whose frequent or habitual howling, yelping, barking or crowing 'greatly annoys or…

Fitchburg, Wisconsin treats a dog, cat or other animal that habitually disturbs a neighbor's peace and quiet as a…

Green Bay treats persistent barking as a public nuisance under Municipal Code § 6-8(f): no dog owner may let a dog bark…

Kenosha bans keeping a dog whose loud, frequent or habitual barking, yelping or howling causes serious annoyance to the…

Little Chute declares habitually barking dogs, crying cats, and squealing pet pigs a public nuisance, triggering…

Madison makes it unlawful under MGO § 24.04(4) for anyone in charge of a building or premises to keep an animal or bird…

Marathon County bars owners from letting a dog disturb neighbors with frequent or habitual howling, barking, or…

City of Middleton Municipal Code § 16.05(2)(c) makes it unlawful to keep any animal or bird that habitually disturbs…

Milwaukee bars owning or harboring any bird or animal whose frequent, habitual howling or barking seriously disturbs…

Mosinee declares a dog that habitually barks, howls, or yelps, or a cat that habitually cries or howls, to the…

Neenah bans unreasonably loud, raucous noise made by an animal or bird, holding the person who owns, controls, or…

New Berlin classifies excessive or habitual barking as a dog-related public nuisance under § 152-10 F(2). A complaint…

Oneida County's Animal Control Ordinance treats a continuously barking, whining or howling dog as a 'public nuisance'…

County code makes it unlawful to own, possess or harbor a dog or other animal that frequently or continuously creates…

Rock County bars any dog owner from letting a dog bark or howl often enough to unreasonably disturb the neighbors in…

Sun Prairie makes it unlawful to knowingly keep a dog that habitually barks, howls or yelps, or a cat that habitually…

Walworth County Code § 6-31 makes it unlawful to knowingly keep or harbor a dog that habitually barks, howls or yelps…

Waukesha treats an animal or fowl that habitually howls, yelps, barks or crows enough to greatly annoy or disturb a…

Wausau Municipal Code § 8.08.230 makes it unlawful to own or harbor any animal whose frequent or habitual howling…

Wauwatosa Municipal Code Section 7.46.040 Animals bars keeping any animal or bird that habitually disturbs the peace…

West Allis treats habitual barking, howling, or other animal noise that disturbs neighbors of ordinary sensibilities as…

Burlington bars knowingly keeping or harboring any animal that habitually barks, cries, howls or yelps in a way that…

Fond du Lac County treats a dog, bird or other animal whose frequent or long-continued noise disturbs neighbors as a…

Milton makes it unlawful to keep any animal or fowl whose frequent or habitual howling, yelping, barking or crowing…

Rothschild bars keeping any animal that habitually howls, yelps, barks or wails so as to disturb other people, under…

Washington County makes it unlawful to own, harbor or keep a dog that habitually barks or howls to the annoyance of…

Brown County's noise ordinance exempts animal noise, including barking dogs, from its Chapter 39 decibel standards, so…

Appleton bans running power saws, drills, sanders, grinders, lawnmowers and lawn or garden tools, including leaf…

Burlington bans running a lawn mower or other residential power tool, which covers leaf blowers, between 10:00 p.m. and…

Milwaukee exempts lawn mowers, leaf blowers and other garden power tools from its community noise standards, but bans…

Mosinee restricts lawnmowers, chainsaws and other powered garden equipment, including leaf blowers, to the hours…

Lawnmowers, leaf blowers and other powered garden equipment in Sun Prairie must stay within seven a.m. to nine p.m…

West Allis presumes noise from outdoor property maintenance equipment -- including leaf blowers -- reasonable only…

Neenah exempts lawn mowers and powered yard tools from its noise decibel limits but bans running them between 9 p.m…

Burlington requires prior City or City Administrator approval before using a loudspeaker or sound-amplifying device on…

Outdoor loudspeakers, PA systems and other sound-amplifying devices used outside a soundproof enclosure in Fitchburg…

Live or recorded music in Little Chute streets and parks needs a police or parks-department permit first, and none may…

Marathon County requires a written Parks Commission permit before anyone runs a sound truck, loudspeaker or other loud…

The City of Mosinee requires a permit from the chief of police before anyone uses a loudspeaker or amplifying device on…

Rothschild bans transmitting or producing music by loudspeaker, amplifier, or similar device outside any building, or…

Using a loudspeaker or amplifier on Sun Prairie streets or in its parks requires a police chief permit under Code…

Waukesha bans operating a sound truck, loudspeaker, radio, phonograph, calliope or any similar loud amplifier on a…

Appleton prohibits operating a radio or similar electric sound amplification device so that it is audible 75 feet or…

Beloit's noise ordinance, Code § 15.12, bans amplified music or sound equipment that can be heard across the street on…

At night, Brown County bars radios, jukeboxes and other electric sound-amplification devices on commercial or…

Dane County Code § 34.04 bans excessive noise, including amplified radios, phonographs, tape and disc players, and…

De Pere's noise ordinance sets hard decibel ceilings measured at the lot line: 57 dB(A) daytime and 52 dB(A) at night…

Green Bay treats outdoor amplified or live music as regulated noise: a court can call it unreasonably loud once it tops…

Kenosha bans radios, stereos and sound amplifiers from creating a "noise disturbance" across a property line between 10…

Kenosha County Code § 8.02(6)(i)-(j) makes amplified indoor music at a licensed cabaret stop at 1 a.m., or 2 a.m…

Madison confines amplified music and voice on city streets to two daily windows, noon to 1:30 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m…

Amplified outdoor sound in Middleton requires a permit issued by the City Clerk under Municipal Code § 7.15. Sunday…

Using a loudspeaker or amplifying device on Milton's streets or in its parks requires a permit from the chief of police…

Milwaukee caps outdoor noise, including amplified music, at 55 to 65 decibels by day and 45 to 60 decibels at night…

Outdoor music at private venues in Milwaukee County is regulated by municipal ordinances, not the county. The county…

Neenah bans unreasonably loud, raucous use of loudspeakers, amplifiers, and public address systems in or near…

New Berlin ties the use of loudspeakers and other amplified sound equipment directly to its zoning noise performance…

Oneida County bars sound trucks, loudspeakers, motors and any other mechanical device from producing unduly loud or…

County code bans intentionally operating any sound source, including amplified equipment, in a way that creates a noise…

Rock County makes it an offense to emit loud or raucous noise through a sound amplifier or other instrument in public…

Washington County bars operating a loudspeaker, sound amplifier, public address system or similar device so loud it…

Waukesha County limits amplified sound in its parks by distance, not decibels: radios, disc players, musical…

Wausau bans any noise that unreasonably disturbs the peace and quiet of nearby residents, and specifically requires a…

Wauwatosa Municipal Code Section 7.46.030 bars using or operating any voice-amplification or sound-reproducing device…

West Allis bans noise that unreasonably disturbs neighbors, using objective time-and-distance tests, audible inside a…

Winnebago County zoning treats outdoor entertainment venues like race tracks, motocross courses, and sports arenas as a…

Racine County's general noise ordinance bans any noisy activity that annoys or disturbs a neighbor, but sets no decibel…

Land within Brown County's District A aircraft noise contour, 65 LDN or greater near Austin Straubel International…

New homes built in Winnebago County's Wittman Regional Airport Traffic Pattern (Air-3) District must add 5 decibels of…

Dane County doesn't set a flat decibel ceiling for commercial or industrial uses; instead town boards and the zoning…

Appleton caps sound at the property line using Table I of its noise code: 60 dB(A) daytime and 50 dB(A) nighttime in…

Ashwaubenon's zoning code sets one of its only numeric noise limits for car washes and auto-detailing businesses…

Beloit caps industrial noise crossing into a Residential or Commercial district from any Manufacturing district using…

Brown County caps how much sound an industrial or commercial source can push across the line into a residential zone…

Burlington caps stationary noise sources at 75 dBA in manufacturing and quarrying districts, 70 dBA in business…

De Pere caps sound at the lot line by zone and time of day: 57 dB(A) daytime and 52 dB(A) at night in residential…

Green Bay bars "unreasonably loud noise" citywide, and Municipal Code § 24-146(b)(1) lets a court find noise…

Kenosha caps sound at the receiving property line under City Code § 23.06's Table 1: 60 dBA in residential…

Kenosha County's zoning ordinance caps the noise a land use can radiate at its property line with an octave-band…

Little Chute caps industrial and commercial noise at 70 dBA during the day and 60 dBA overnight, measured at the…

Madison caps stationary noise at 65, 70, or 75 dBA depending on the receiving property's zoning district, under MGO §…

City of Middleton caps continuous noise measured at the property line as an increase over ambient sound: 3 dBA in…

Milton, Wisconsin's zoning code sets a maximum sound-pressure increase over ambient noise at the lot line, measured…

Milwaukee caps noise from sources in Industrial Districts at a noise rating number of 65 by day and 55 by night…

Mosinee sets numeric noise ceilings by zone under Code § 54-193(d)(1): stationary sources are capped at 60 db…

Neenah caps sound at 75 dBA daytime across residential, commercial, and entertainment zones, dropping to as low as 60…

New Berlin's zoning performance standards cap noise by octave band rather than a single decibel number. Section 275-60…

Along the Highway 41 corridor in the Town of Vandenbroek, Outagamie County blocks approval of new homes, schools and…

Rothschild treats any noise measuring 85 dB(A) or more at the complainant's property line as presumptively unreasonable…

Sun Prairie caps stationary noise at the property line: 65 decibels by day and 50 at night in residential zones, 70…

Walworth County's only numeric decibel standard applies to wind energy systems: Walworth County Code § 65-14 caps…

Waukesha's zoning code sets numeric decibel ceilings by octave band, with a separate scale for manufacturing districts…

In West Allis's commercial and industrial zones, nighttime noise audible from 75 feet or more away on a different…

Winnebago County's zoning code caps nighttime noise from truck-stop parking and activity areas at 60 decibels, dB(A)…

Racine County's zoning code requires that noise from any permitted use be muffled or controlled so it doesn't become…

De Pere prohibits engaging a truck's compression brake, commonly called a Jake brake, anywhere within city limits…

Middleton outlaws compression brakes, commonly called jake brakes or engine brakes, on any truck or motor vehicle…

Appleton adopts the state muffler law, bans revving, tire-squealing acceleration and gravel-throwing starts, and makes…

Sun Prairie bans engaged compression (Jake) brakes citywide, caps horn use at three seconds, and requires every vehicle…

Ashwaubenon requires every registered motor vehicle, including motor bicycles and motorcycles, to run an adequate…

Beloit bans operating a motor vehicle so as to create an unreasonably loud noise through acceleration or deceleration…

Burlington's noise chapter declares tire squealing, defective mufflers, high-rev engine noise, unnecessary horn use and…

Dane County bans excessive noise from motor vehicles, radios and other mechanical devices countywide under ch. 34.04…

Fitchburg, Wisconsin bans compression (jake) brakes outright, and separately bars operating a vehicle radio or sound…

Fond du Lac County bans squealing vehicle tires and excessive engine revving on unincorporated roads. County Code §…

Green Bay requires every motor vehicle to run a working muffler and bans loud, out-of-repair, or modified exhausts on…

Kenosha bars modifying a vehicle's exhaust or intake muffler to increase its noise above factory level, and separately…

Little Chute bans loud car stereos audible off the vehicle at night and outlaws compression (jake) engine brakes…

MGO § 24.09 caps light motor vehicle noise at 80 dBA measured from 15 feet, bans excessive noise from modified exhausts…

On Marathon County's designated ATV/UTV routes and trails, every all-terrain and utility-terrain vehicle must run a…

The City of Milton, Wisconsin bans vehicle stereos and sound systems that are clearly audible 50 feet or more from the…

Milwaukee bans squealing tires, revving engines, loud mufflers, and unattended car alarms, with fines of $100 to $200…

Milwaukee County does not set its own vehicle-noise ordinance for streets. Loud vehicles are governed by Wisconsin's…

Mosinee bans excessive vehicle horn use and unmuffled engine or exhaust noise under Code § 54-193(b)(1) and (6): horns…

Neenah bans operating a motor vehicle to make loud, disturbing pounding or noise that would annoy or disturb others in…

New Berlin bans excessive vehicle noise under Code of Ordinances § 171-1(B), prohibiting tires that squeal, horns blown…

Outagamie County requires a properly maintained muffler on every motor vehicle and bans intentional tire-squealing…

Racine County requires a functioning muffler on snowmobiles, dirt bikes and other recreational vehicles, and bans…

Rothschild bars working on vehicles, revving engines, or other unnecessary vehicle noise in residential zones between 9…

Squealing tires, excessive engine acceleration, and loud muffler noise are banned in unincorporated Walworth County…

Washington County requires every motor vehicle's exhaust to run through a muffler that prevents loud or explosive…

Waukesha bans excessive acceleration that spins tires, throws gravel, or makes a loud noise that disturbs the peace…

Loud vehicles are governed by Wisconsin state law, not a county ordinance. Wis. Stat. 347.39 requires an adequate…

Wausau requires every engine exhaust, from cars to motorboats, to run through a muffler that stops loud or explosive…

Wauwatosa Municipal Code Section 7.48.040 bars any unnecessary or unreasonably loud or harsh sound from an automobile…

Revving, tire squealing, and horn blowing that create a disturbance cost drivers a $300 forfeiture under West Allis's…

Winnebago County requires any motor vehicle driven on the frozen surface of an inland lake to run a working muffler…

Brown County's noise ordinance sets sound-level limits for stationary sources but expressly exempts motor vehicles…