Maine Noise Laws: Quiet Hours, Disorderly Conduct and Fines (2026)

In Maine, quiet hours and noise limits for neighborhoods come from town and city ordinances; the state statutes covered on this page set no general quiet hours and no decibel limit for noise between neighbors, apart from the hours for consumer fireworks. The main state rules are these. The disorderly conduct statute, 17-A M.R.S. §501-A, makes loud and unreasonable noise a Class E crime, but in a private place, such as a home, only after a law enforcement officer has ordered the person to stop. A car stereo on a public way may not be audible beyond 25 feet and over 85 decibels, or louder than is reasonable, under 29-A M.R.S. §2079-A, with forfeitures of $50, $100 and $150. And every vehicle needs a muffler that prevents excessive or unusual noise (29-A M.R.S. §1912). State park camping areas are quiet from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. To compare other states, see our guide to noise ordinance laws by state.

Information last verified on 2026-10-10. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers Maine state law on noise: disorderly conduct and Class E sentencing (17-A M.R.S. §§501-A, 1604, 1704); the motor vehicle sound system, muffler and harsh-noise sections and the traffic infraction rules (29-A M.R.S. §§103, 104, 1912, 2079, 2079-A); Bureau of Parks and Lands park rules and their enforcement (12 M.R.S. §1806); motorboat, snowmobile and ATV noise (12 M.R.S. §§13068-A, 13106-A, 13157-A); consumer fireworks hours (8 M.R.S. §223-A); disturbing schools (20-A M.R.S. §6804); municipal home rule (30-A M.R.S. §3001); the Department of Environmental Protection's noise rule (06-096 C.M.R. ch. 375, §10) and the repealed Site Law noise standard (38 M.R.S. §482-A); nuisance law (17 M.R.S. §§2701, 2706, 2802, 2807); and sport shooting range and farm protections (30-A M.R.S. §3011; 17 M.R.S. §2806; 7 M.R.S. §153). Statute text is the version the Maine Revisor of Statutes publishes. It does not cover the text of any town or city noise ordinance (including Portland or Bangor), aircraft, workplace noise, or the law of other states.

The state decibel figures that do exist apply to car stereos, to the muffler defense, to motorboats, snowmobiles and ATVs, and to developments under the Department of Environmental Protection's rule, each covered below.

Maine noise laws at a glance

Is loud noise disorderly conduct in Maine?

It can be, and the test depends on where the noise happens. 17-A M.R.S. §501-A has one rule for public places and a stricter one for private places.

In a public place, no warning is needed. A person commits disorderly conduct if, "In a public place, the person intentionally or recklessly causes annoyance to others by intentionally: (1) Making loud and unreasonable noise, including, but not limited to, loud and unreasonable noise resulting from the use of consumer fireworks."

In a private place, the officer's order comes first:

"C. In a private place, the person makes loud and unreasonable noise, including, but not limited to, loud and unreasonable noise resulting from the use of consumer fireworks, that can be heard by another person, who may be a law enforcement officer, as unreasonable noise in a public place or in another private place, after having been ordered by a law enforcement officer to cease the noise;"

For a loud neighbor, that order is the practical step. A first call to the police about a party in a house does not complete the state crime; if the noise continues after an officer orders it to stop, it can.

What counts as a public place

Section 501-A(2) defines a "public place," for that section only, as "a place to which the public at large or a substantial group has access, including but not limited to: (1) Public ways as defined in section 505; (2) Schools and government-owned custodial facilities; and (3) The lobbies, hallways, lavatories, toilets and basement portions of apartment houses, hotels, public buildings and transportation terminals." A "private place" is "any place that is not a public place." Noise in an apartment building's hallway or lobby is therefore judged under the public-place rule, while noise inside a unit falls under the private-place rule.

Penalty

Section 501-A(3) states: "Disorderly conduct is a Class E crime." The maximum term for a Class E crime is 6 months (17-A M.R.S. §1604(1)(E)), and the maximum fine is $1,000 (17-A M.R.S. §1704(5)).

Separately, a person who enters school property while a teacher or student is present and willfully interrupts or disturbs the teacher or student "by loud speaking," or willfully interrupts a school by "making noises," commits a civil offense with a forfeiture of $200 to $500 (20-A M.R.S. §6804).

Consumer fireworks noise is named in both clauses. State law also limits when and where consumer fireworks may be used: between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m., except that on July 4, December 31 and "the weekends immediately before and after July 4th and December 31st" they may be used until 12:30 a.m. the following day, and only on the user's own property or on property whose owner has consented. A violation is a civil violation with a fine of $50 to $500, plus court costs (8 M.R.S. §223-A(8)). A town may adopt an ordinance "to prohibit or restrict the sale or use of consumer fireworks within the municipality" (§223-A(2)), so check your local rule. For more, see Maine fireworks laws.

How loud can car music be in Maine?

29-A M.R.S. §2079-A sets two alternative tests for a sound system in a vehicle on a public way:

"A person may not operate a sound system in a vehicle on a public way at a volume that is audible at a distance of greater than 25 feet and that exceeds 85 decibels or that is greater than is reasonable with due regard to the location of the vehicle and the effect on persons in proximity to the vehicle. It is a prima facie violation of this section if the vehicle is located near buildings and the buildings or windows in the buildings are shaken or rattled by the sound of the sound system."

The first test needs both conditions: audible beyond 25 feet and over 85 decibels. The second test, "greater than is reasonable," needs no measurement. A violation is a traffic infraction with fixed forfeitures: "A. For a first offense, $50; B. For a 2nd offense, $100; and C. For a 3rd or subsequent offense, $150."

Loud mufflers and exhaust in Maine

29-A M.R.S. §1912 requires a muffler that keeps a vehicle reasonably quiet, measured against other vehicles:

"1. Muffler required. A person may not operate a motor vehicle unless that vehicle is equipped with an adequate muffler properly maintained to prevent excessive or unusual noise. For purposes of this subsection, "excessive or unusual noise" includes motor noise emitted by a motor vehicle that is noticeably louder than similar vehicles in the environment."

The section also bars muffler cutouts and bypasses and exhaust modifications that make a vehicle louder than its original muffler. It contains no penalty clause of its own, so the Title 29-A default applies: a violation is a traffic infraction (29-A M.R.S. §104), and "The exclusive penalty for a traffic infraction is a fine of not less than $25 nor more than $500, unless specifically authorized, or suspension of a license, or both" (29-A M.R.S. §103(3)).

There is a decibel defense. Under subsection 6, if the exhaust of a motor vehicle, "not including a motorcycle, does not emit noise in excess of 95 decibels as measured in accordance with standards and specifications outlined in standard J-1169 adopted by the Society of Automotive Engineers in May 1998, subsections 1 and 3 do not apply." A person served with a summons must provide that evidence, and "Measurements must be made by a participating certified inspection station."

A related rule, 29-A M.R.S. §2079, provides: "Braking or acceleration may not be unnecessarily made so as to cause a harsh and objectionable noise." It is also a traffic infraction under the Title 29-A default.

Boats, snowmobiles and ATVs

Maine sets noise limits for recreational vehicles in Title 12. A person may not operate a motorboat so as to exceed "A noise level of 90 decibels when subjected to a stationary sound level test" or "A noise level of 75 decibels when subjected to an operational test," as prescribed by the commissioner; the fine is $300 to $500, and boats in an approved regatta or race are exempt (12 M.R.S. §13068-A(10)). Every motorboat must have "an effective and suitable muffling device," with a fine of $100 to $500, and modifying a motorboat muffler system so the boat is louder carries a fine of up to $100 (§13068-A(11), (12)).

A snowmobile manufactured after October 1, 1985 may not emit "total vehicle noise greater than 78 decibels of sound pressure level at 50 feet" on the A scale, and no snowmobile may run with an exhaust modified to increase its noise (12 M.R.S. §13106-A(14-A)). An ATV must have "an effective and suitable muffling device," and its exhaust may not be modified to make it louder than a standard under which each ATV must meet federal EPA noise emission standards and "in no case exceed 96 decibels of sound pressure when measured from a distance of 20 inches" (12 M.R.S. §13157-A(25)). Snowmobile and ATV noise violations are civil violations with fines of $100 to $500.

Each of these violations becomes a Class E crime for a person who has been adjudicated of 3 or more civil violations under the same Part within the previous 5 years.

Quiet hours in Maine state parks

The Bureau of Parks and Lands park rules set clock hours for state park campgrounds. Rule 16: "Quiet in camping areas is required between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m." Rule 18: "The use of chain saws and power equipment is prohibited. Generators may be used between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8 p.m. as long as they do not bother other visitors." Violating a Bureau rule is a civil violation with a forfeiture of up to $500 (12 M.R.S. §1806(3)); the conduct that §1806(4) makes a Class E crime, such as damaging natural features or posted notices or discharging a weapon near a camping area, does not include noise. The Bureau's rules page also states that fireworks are prohibited on state property managed by the Bureau. These rules apply on state park land only.

The DEP noise rule applies to developments, not neighbors

Maine's Department of Environmental Protection has a detailed noise rule, 06-096 C.M.R. chapter 375, section 10, and its numbers are often mistaken for a general residential limit. They are not. The rule states: "This regulation applies to proposed developments within municipalities without a local quantifiable noise standard and in unorganized areas of the State." Where a town has a quantifiable noise standard no more than 5 dBA above the rule's limits and covering the same types of sound, the local standard applies instead.

For the developments it covers, the rule sets hourly sound limits:

Wind energy developments have their own limits instead: 75 dBA at the property line at any time, and 55 dBA by day (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and 42 dBA at night (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) at any protected location (ch. 375, §10(I)).

A 5 dBA penalty is added for tonal sound. Construction sound between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. is held to the nighttime limits unless the municipality permits it (for up to 90 days) or the municipality and the DEP permit it (for longer); daytime construction limits depend on duration, from 87 dBA over 12 hours to 105 dBA for one hour or less. The chapter was most recently amended on September 14, 2025.

The Legislature once had a separate Site Law "noise effect" standard in 38 M.R.S. §482-A; it was repealed in 1993 (PL 1993, c. 383, §19).

Who sets quiet hours: towns and cities

Neighborhood quiet hours, decibel limits and construction hours come from municipal ordinances. Maine's home rule statute, 30-A M.R.S. §3001, gives towns and cities broad ordinance power:

"Any municipality, by the adoption, amendment or repeal of ordinances or bylaws, may exercise any power or function which the Legislature has power to confer upon it, which is not denied either expressly or by clear implication, and exercise any power or function granted to the municipality by the Constitution of Maine, general law or charter."

The statute limits implied preemption: the Legislature is not held to have implicitly denied a municipal power "unless the municipal ordinance in question would frustrate the purpose of any state law."

To find your local rule, look up your town's or city's code of ordinances, usually posted on the municipal website, and search it for noise, sound or nuisance. The ordinance states its hours, any limits and its penalty. For noise happening now, call the local police non-emergency line; under §501-A it is an officer's order to stop that turns continuing private-place noise into a crime. Renters can also read our overview of Maine landlord-tenant laws for the lease rules that apply between landlords and tenants.

Can you sue a neighbor over noise in Maine?

Maine's nuisance chapter gives a private right of action. 17 M.R.S. §2701 provides: "A person injured in the person's comfort or property or the enjoyment of the person's estate by a common and public nuisance or a private nuisance may maintain against the offender a civil action for the person's damages, unless otherwise specially provided."

17 M.R.S. §2802 describes nuisances that, "by noxious exhalations, offensive smells or other annoyances, becomes injurious and dangerous to the health, comfort or property of individuals or of the public." It does not name noise. A person who erects or continues a public or common nuisance, "where no other punishment is specially provided, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $100" (17 M.R.S. §2706).

Shooting ranges, farms and fishing

30-A M.R.S. §3011(2) limits local noise ordinances for sport shooting ranges:

"2. Limitation. A municipal noise control or other ordinance may not require or be applied so as to require a sport shooting range to limit or eliminate shooting activities that have occurred on a regular basis at the range prior to the enactment date of the ordinance, as long as the range conforms to generally accepted gun safety and shooting range operation practices or is constructed in a manner not reasonably expected to allow a projectile to cross the boundary of the range."

Towns may still regulate the location and construction of new ranges and substantial changes in use after September 1, 2016. Under 17 M.R.S. §2806, nuisance suits against ranges by people who arrive later, including suits over noise, are barred, with time windows for new ranges and substantial changes. That section "does not limit nuisance actions against shooting ranges established on or after September 1, 2016," and a range that resumes shooting after 3 years with no shooting activity is treated as a new range.

For farms, 7 M.R.S. §153 provides that a farm, farm operation or agricultural composting operation "may not be considered a public or private nuisance under Title 17, chapter 91" if it complies with applicable state and federal law and conforms to best management practices, follows a nutrient management plan (for nutrient complaints), or existed before a change in land use or occupancy within one mile and would not have been a nuisance before that change. The section does not use the word noise.

A private nuisance suit also may not be brought against a person engaged in a commercial fishing activity or operation, a term the statute defines to include "noise, odors, operation of a vessel, operation of harvesting or processing equipment and transfer or storage of bait," as long as it complies with "applicable licensing and permitting requirements and other applicable statutes, rules and ordinances" (17 M.R.S. §2807).

Related pages

• Noise ordinance laws by state
• Maine fireworks laws
• Maine landlord-tenant laws
• New Hampshire noise ordinance laws

This article provides general legal information about Maine law, not legal advice. For advice about a specific situation, contact a lawyer licensed in Maine or your town or city government.

Last updated: 2026-10-10.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the noise laws in Maine?

State law covers loud and unreasonable noise as disorderly conduct (17-A M.R.S. §501-A), car stereos on public ways (29-A M.R.S. §2079-A), mufflers (29-A M.R.S. §1912) and quiet hours in state park camping areas. Quiet hours and decibel limits for neighborhoods come from your town or city ordinance.

What are the quiet hours in Maine?

For homes, quiet hours are set by your municipality's ordinance. Maine state park camping areas are quiet from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and generators there may run only from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; breaking a park rule is a civil violation with a forfeiture of up to $500. State law also limits consumer fireworks to 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., or until 12:30 a.m. on July 4, December 31 and the weekends immediately before and after those dates (8 M.R.S. §223-A(8)).

Can police arrest my neighbor for loud music in Maine?

Noise in a private place becomes disorderly conduct only after a law enforcement officer orders the person to stop and the loud and unreasonable noise continues, audible to another person as unreasonable noise in a public place or another private place (17-A M.R.S. §501-A(1)(C)). Disorderly conduct is a Class E crime, with up to 6 months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

Is noise in an apartment hallway a public place in Maine?

For the disorderly conduct statute, yes. Section 501-A defines a public place to include the lobbies, hallways, lavatories, toilets and basement portions of apartment houses, so loud and unreasonable noise there can be charged without a prior order to stop.

How loud can car music be in Maine?

A sound system in a vehicle on a public way may not be audible beyond 25 feet and over 85 decibels, or louder than is reasonable for the location and the people nearby (29-A M.R.S. §2079-A). Shaking or rattling nearby buildings or windows is a prima facie violation, and the forfeiture is $50, $100 or $150 for a first, second or later offense.

What is the fine for a loud exhaust in Maine?

A muffler violation under 29-A M.R.S. §1912 is a traffic infraction, punishable by a fine of $25 to $500 (29-A M.R.S. §§103, 104). For vehicles other than motorcycles, a certified inspection station measurement showing 95 decibels or less under SAE standard J-1169 is a defense.

Does the Maine DEP handle noise complaints?

The DEP's noise rule in chapter 375, section 10 applies to proposed developments in municipalities without a local quantifiable noise standard and in unorganized areas. It does not govern noise between neighbors; that falls under municipal ordinances and the disorderly conduct statute.