Minnesota Noise Laws (2026): Decibel Limits, Quiet Hours, Fines

Minnesota has a statewide noise standard. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's rule, Minn. R. 7030.0040, provides that its standards "apply to all sources" and, for the noise area classification that covers homes, sets daytime limits of 60 dB(A) (L50) and 65 dB(A) (L10) and nighttime limits of 50 and 55 dB(A), with daytime running from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (7030.0020). Cities and other local governments may not set maximum sound-pressure standards stricter than the agency's (Minn. Stat. 116.07, subd. 2(c)). State park camping areas have quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. (Minn. R. 6100.1250). Even so, the agency sends community noise such as loud cars, bars and parties to local law enforcement, quiet hours for neighborhoods come from city and county ordinances, and noisy conduct can be disorderly conduct under Minn. Stat. 609.72. 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 Minnesota state law: the Pollution Control Agency's noise standards and their limits on local standards (Minn. Stat. 116.07; Minn. R. 7030.0020, 7030.0030, 7030.0040) and its motor vehicle noise rules (Minn. Stat. 169.693; Minn. R. 7030.1010 to 7030.1060); the penalties for violating agency rules (115.071); the muffler statute and the Chapter 169 penalty (169.69, 169.89); disorderly conduct, public nuisance and funeral disruption (609.72, 609.74, 609.501) with the misdemeanor and petty misdemeanor definitions (609.02); statutory city noise powers (412.221); the private nuisance statute and the agricultural operation protection (561.01, 561.19); the shooting range noise standard and nuisance protection (87A.05, 87A.06); snowmobile muffler and motorboat noise limits (84.871, 86B.321); and the Department of Natural Resources' park and campground noise rules (Minn. R. 6100.0700, 6100.1250) and their penalty (Minn. Stat. 85.20). It does not cover the text of any city or county ordinance, lease terms, aircraft, highway or workplace noise, or the law of other states.

Minnesota noise laws at a glance

Minnesota's statewide noise standards

Under Minn. R. 7030.0040, "Noise standards in subpart 2 apply to all sources." The standards are set by noise area classification (NAC), with two measures, L50 and L10, as the rule defines them:

"Daytime means those hours from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m." and "Nighttime means those hours from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m." (Minn. R. 7030.0020). That day-night split is part of the decibel standard; it is not a separate quiet-hours rule.

The operative rule is short: "No person may violate the standards established in part 7030.0040, unless exempted by Minnesota Statutes, section 116.07, subdivision 2a" (Minn. R. 7030.0030). The same part requires "Any municipality having authority to regulate land use" to "take all reasonable measures within its jurisdiction to prevent the establishment of land use activities listed in noise area classification (NAC) 1, 2, or 3 in any location where the standards established in part 7030.0040 will be violated immediately upon establishment of the land use."

Penalties. Under Minn. Stat. 115.071, subd. 2(a), "any person who willfully or negligently violates any provision of this chapter or chapter 114C or 116, or any standard, rule, variance, order, stipulation agreement, schedule of compliance or permit issued or adopted by the agency thereunder shall upon conviction be guilty of a misdemeanor." A person who violates the agency's rules also "forfeits and must pay to the state a penalty, in an amount to be determined by the court, of not more than $15,000 per day of violation" (115.071, subd. 3(a)).

What the standards do not cover. Minn. Stat. 116.07, subd. 2a(a) provides that "No standards adopted by any state agency for limiting levels of noise in terms of sound pressure which may occur in the outdoor atmosphere shall apply to," among other things:

• "except for the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, an existing or newly constructed segment of a road, street, or highway under the jurisdiction of a road authority of a town, statutory or home rule charter city, or county, except for roadways for which full control of access has been acquired";
• "skeet, trap or shooting sports clubs"; and
• "motor vehicle race events conducted at a facility specifically designed for that purpose that was in operation on or before July 1, 1996."

Local noise rules and the limit on stricter decibel standards

Minnesota caps how strict a local decibel standard can be: "No local governing unit shall set standards describing the maximum levels of sound pressure which are more stringent than those set by the Pollution Control Agency" (Minn. Stat. 116.07, subd. 2(c)). The bar is written in terms of standards describing maximum sound-pressure levels.

For statutory cities, "The council shall have power by ordinance to regulate and prevent noise or other disorder" (Minn. Stat. 412.221, subd. 24). Where your neighborhood has quiet hours, construction hours or limits on amplified music, they come from your city or county ordinance.

The Pollution Control Agency's own guidance points readers there: "The MPCA is only involved in regulating noise or odor in some cases; complaints about these issues are typically addressed by local governments." For "community sources (loud cars, restaurants, bars, parties, etc.)," the agency lists "Local law enforcement" as the contact.

To find and use your local rules:

• Read the code. Look up your city's code of ordinances, usually linked from the city website or available from the city clerk, and check the noise, nuisance or public peace chapter. In unincorporated areas, check the county.
• Who to call. Local police or the sheriff's office for ongoing disturbances; the city's code enforcement or nuisance office for recurring sources.

Quiet hours in Minnesota state parks and campgrounds

The Department of Natural Resources' outdoor recreation rules prohibit making "a noise at a level above that of a quiet conversation in camping areas between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., which are designated quiet hours" (Minn. R. 6100.1250, subp. 3(D)). "Power units used to generate electricity shall not be operated between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., nor at other hours of the day if the operation causes a disturbance for other visitors" (6100.1250, subp. 1(H)).

At any hour, "Without prior permission from the park manager or forest officer, no person shall make noise reasonably tending to arouse alarm or resentment of others by means of a public address system, radio, stereo, amplifier, or power equipment, or by any other means" (Minn. R. 6100.0700). The same rule provides: "No person shall engage in brawling or fighting, or use offensive, obscene, or abusive language, or engage in boisterous, noisy, or threatening conduct reasonably tending to arouse alarm, anger, or resentment in others" (6100.0700, subp. 4).

A person who, within an outdoor recreation unit such as a state park, "shall willfully violate, or fail to comply with, any rule of the commissioner adopted according to section 86A.06, is guilty of a petty misdemeanor" (Minn. Stat. 85.20, subd. 1(a)). A petty misdemeanor carries a fine of not more than $300 (609.02, subd. 4a). If another law provides a different penalty and the person is charged under it, that penalty controls (85.20, subd. 1(c)).

When noise is disorderly conduct in Minnesota

Minn. Stat. 609.72, subd. 1 makes it disorderly conduct when a person, "in a public or private place, including on a school bus, knowing, or having reasonable grounds to know that it will, or will tend to, alarm, anger or disturb others or provoke an assault or breach of the peace," "(3) engages in offensive, obscene, abusive, boisterous, or noisy conduct or in offensive, obscene, or abusive language tending reasonably to arouse alarm, anger, or resentment in others."

Every part of that sentence matters. The conduct can happen in a public or a private place, so a loud party at home can qualify. But noise alone is not enough: the person must know, or have reasonable grounds to know, that the conduct will or will tend to alarm, anger or disturb others or provoke an assault or breach of the peace.

Disorderly conduct is a misdemeanor. A misdemeanor is "a crime for which a sentence of not more than 90 days or a fine of not more than $1,000, or both, may be imposed" (Minn. Stat. 609.02, subd. 3).

Public nuisance. A person who intentionally "maintains or permits a condition which unreasonably annoys, injures or endangers the safety, health, morals, comfort, or repose of any considerable number of members of the public" is guilty of maintaining a public nuisance, also a misdemeanor (Minn. Stat. 609.74(1)). The statute does not name noise, and it requires that a considerable number of members of the public be affected.

Funerals. It is a misdemeanor, "with intent to disrupt a funeral ceremony, graveside service, or memorial service," to protest or picket "within 500 feet of the burial site or the entrance to a facility or location being used for the service or ceremony, within one hour prior to, during, or one hour following the service or ceremony" (Minn. Stat. 609.501, subd. 2(a)(1)). A repeat violation is a gross misdemeanor (609.501, subd. 2(b)), and a surviving family or household member may sue for damages and injunctive relief (609.501, subd. 3). The statute does not name noise.

Loud cars and mufflers

"Every motor vehicle shall at all times be equipped with a muffler in good working order which blends the exhaust noise into the overall vehicle noise and is in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise, and no person shall use a muffler cutout, bypass, or similar device upon a motor vehicle on a street or highway. The exhaust system shall not emit or produce a sharp popping or crackling sound" (Minn. Stat. 169.69).

Separately, "It is unlawful to operate a motor vehicle in violation of motor vehicle noise rules adopted by the Pollution Control Agency" (Minn. Stat. 169.693). The agency's rule bars operating "either a motor vehicle or combination of vehicles ... in such a manner as to exceed the noise limits contained herein" (Minn. R. 7030.1010). The limits themselves appear as charts, not as numbers in the text, in Minn. R. 7030.1040 (vehicles with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds), 7030.1050 (motorcycles) and 7030.1060 (other vehicles). The heavy vehicle and motorcycle parts sort their limits into categories by speed limit and model year.

Penalty. "Unless otherwise declared in this chapter with respect to particular offenses, it is a petty misdemeanor for any person to do any act forbidden or fail to perform any act required by this chapter" (Minn. Stat. 169.89, subd. 1). A petty misdemeanor "does not constitute a crime," and the person "is not subject to imprisonment but shall be punished by a fine of not more than $300" (169.89; 609.02, subd. 4a). A violation becomes a misdemeanor if it is "committed in a manner or under circumstances so as to endanger or be likely to endanger any person or property," or when preceded by two or more petty misdemeanor convictions within the preceding 12 months (169.89, subd. 1).

Snowmobiles and boats

Snowmobiles. A person may not operate a snowmobile unless it has a muffler meeting the commissioner's rules and "is equipped at all times with a muffler in good working order that blends the exhaust noise into the overall snowmobile noise and is in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise," and a snowmobile "must have an exhaust system that does not emit or produce a sharp popping or crackling sound" (Minn. Stat. 84.871, subd. 1(a), (b)). Organized races on land where the owner or agency consents are excepted (84.871, subd. 1(c)). "Beginning July 1, 2026, all after-market mufflers installed on a snowmobile must have a permanent stamp, clearly visible on the muffler, certified by the muffler manufacturer and stating that the muffler conforms to the snowmobile muffler noise limits specified by the rules of the commissioner" (84.871, subd. 3).

Operating a snowmobile in violation of subdivision 1(a) or (b) is a misdemeanor, and the minimum fine "must not be less than: (1) $250 for the first offense; (2) $500 for the second offense; and (3) $1,000 for the third and subsequent offenses." A conservation officer or other licensed peace officer may instead issue a civil citation imposing the same amounts (84.871, subd. 4).

Motorboats. For marine engines or motorboats manufactured on or after January 1, 1982, total noise may not exceed "82 decibels on the A scale measured at a distance of 50 feet from the motorboat" in a pass-by test or "84 decibels on the A scale measured at idle in a stationary test"; for those manufactured before 1982, the limits are 84 and 86 decibels (Minn. Stat. 86B.321, subd. 2(a)). "Failure to pass either the pass-by or stationary idle test is a violation of this section" (86B.321, subd. 2(b)).

Suing over noise: private nuisance

"Anything which is injurious to health, or indecent or offensive to the senses, or an obstruction to the free use of property, so as to interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property, is a nuisance. An action may be brought by any person whose property is injuriously affected or whose personal enjoyment is lessened by the nuisance, and by the judgment the nuisance may be enjoined or abated, as well as damages recovered" (Minn. Stat. 561.01).

Farms. "An agricultural operation is not and shall not become a private or public nuisance after two years from its established date of operation as a matter of law if the operation: (1) is located in an agriculturally zoned area; (2) complies with the provisions of all applicable federal, state, or county laws, regulations, rules, and ordinances and any permits issued for the agricultural operation; and (3) operates according to generally accepted agricultural practices" (Minn. Stat. 561.19, subd. 2(a)). During its first two years, such an operation is presumed, subject to rebuttal, not to be a nuisance (subd. 2(b)). The protection does not apply to swine feedlots of 1,000 or more animal units or cattle feedlots of 2,500 or more animals, to public nuisance prosecutions under 609.74 or a public authority's abatement action, or to local zoning enforcement under chapter 394 or 462 (subd. 2(c)).

If the noise comes from a rental unit, the lease and the landlord may also matter; see Minnesota landlord-tenant laws for the rental basics. For fireworks, see Minnesota fireworks laws.

Shooting ranges

Besides the exemption of skeet, trap and shooting sports clubs from state noise standards in 116.07, subd. 2a, Minnesota protects ranges that meet state performance standards: "A person who owns, operates, or uses a shooting range in this state that is in compliance with shooting range performance standards is not subject to any nuisance action for damages or equitable relief based on noise or other matters regulated by the shooting range performance standards. This section does not prohibit other actions" (Minn. Stat. 87A.06).

For shooting ranges, the allowable noise level is "a single Leq(h) standard for impulsive noise that is two dBA lower than that of the L10 level for steady state noise" in each noise area classification, measured "outside of the range property at the location of the receiver's activity" (Minn. Stat. 87A.05). The subd. 2a exemption does not stop a local government from "regulating the location and operation of skeet, trap or shooting sports clubs, or motor vehicle race events conducted at a facility specifically designed for that purpose that was in operation on or before July 1, 1996" (116.07, subd. 2a(b)).

Related pages

• Noise ordinance laws by state
• Minnesota landlord-tenant laws
• Minnesota fireworks laws
• Wisconsin noise ordinance laws
• Iowa noise ordinance laws

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

Last updated: 2026-10-10.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the noise laws in Minnesota?

The Pollution Control Agency's rule sets statewide decibel limits for all sources (Minn. R. 7030.0040), and local governments may not set stricter sound-pressure standards (Minn. Stat. 116.07, subd. 2(c)). Neighborhood quiet hours come from city and county ordinances, and noisy conduct can be disorderly conduct (609.72).

What are the quiet hours in Minnesota?

State camping areas have quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. (Minn. R. 6100.1250); a willful violation in a state park or other outdoor recreation unit is a petty misdemeanor (Minn. Stat. 85.20). The MPCA noise rule treats 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. as nighttime with lower decibel limits (7030.0020, 7030.0040); neighborhood quiet hours come from your city or county ordinance.

What is the decibel limit for homes in Minnesota?

For the noise area classification that covers households, the limits are 60 dB(A) L50 and 65 dB(A) L10 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and 50 and 55 dB(A) from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (Minn. R. 7030.0040, 7030.0020).

Can a Minnesota city set a stricter decibel limit than the state?

No local governing unit may set standards describing maximum sound-pressure levels that are more stringent than the Pollution Control Agency's (Minn. Stat. 116.07, subd. 2(c)).

Is a loud party disorderly conduct in Minnesota?

It can be. Boisterous or noisy conduct in a public or private place is disorderly conduct if the person knows or has reasonable grounds to know it will or will tend to alarm, anger or disturb others or provoke an assault or breach of the peace (Minn. Stat. 609.72, subd. 1(3)). It is a misdemeanor: up to 90 days, a $1,000 fine, or both.

What is the fine for a loud muffler in Minnesota?

A muffler violation under Minn. Stat. 169.69 is a petty misdemeanor by default, with a fine of up to $300 and no jail (169.89). It becomes a misdemeanor if it endangers persons or property or follows two or more petty misdemeanor convictions within 12 months.

Who do I call about a noise complaint in Minnesota?

The MPCA says community noise such as loud cars, restaurants, bars and parties goes to local law enforcement, and that complaints are typically addressed by local governments.

Can I sue a neighbor for noise in Minnesota?

Anything offensive to the senses that interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property is a nuisance, and any person whose property is injuriously affected or whose personal enjoyment is lessened may sue for an injunction, abatement and damages (Minn. Stat. 561.01). A qualifying agricultural operation in an agriculturally zoned area is not a nuisance after two years from its established date of operation (561.19).