Mississippi Noise Laws (2026): Disturbing the Peace, Quiet Hours, Fines

Mississippi state law has a few noise rules, and most neighborhood limits, such as quiet hours and decibel levels for homes, come from city ordinances. The state statute that names noise directly is Miss. Code 97-35-9: a person who "wilfully disturbs the peace of any family or person" by "loud or unusual noise" can be fined up to $100, jailed up to six months in the county jail, or both. Disturbing the peace by loud or boisterous conduct is a separate misdemeanor under 97-35-15. 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 Mississippi state law: disturbance by noise and disturbing the peace (Miss. Code 97-35-9, 97-35-13, 97-35-15); disturbing worship and funeral protests (97-35-17, 97-35-18); state misdemeanors as municipal offenses (21-13-19); vehicle mufflers and horns (63-7-55, 63-7-65) with the equipment misdemeanor and penalty sections and the violator course (63-7-7, 63-9-11) and the state assessment (99-19-73); city and county ordinance and nuisance powers (21-19-15, 21-17-5, 21-19-1, 19-3-40); the statutory nuisance abatement action (95-3-1, 95-3-5); the right-to-farm defense (95-3-29); the sport shooting range noise immunity (95-13-1); the beer and light wine retailer rule and its penalty (67-3-53, 67-3-69); the tenant duty not to disturb neighbors and the landlord's notice (89-8-25, 89-8-13); fireworks sale dates, discharge limits and penalties (45-13-9, 45-13-15); and the state park rules (40 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 6, R. 1.2). It does not cover the text of any city or county noise ordinance, lease terms, private lawsuits based on court-made nuisance law, aircraft or workplace noise, or the law of other states.

Mississippi noise laws at a glance

What Mississippi state law says about noise

Disturbing a family or person by loud or unusual noise (97-35-9)

This is the statute most directly aimed at a noise problem, and its full text is short:

"A person who wilfully disturbs the peace of any family or person by an explosion of gunpowder or other explosive substance, or by loud or unusual noise, or by any tumultuous or offensive conduct, shall be punished by fine or imprisonment, or both; the fine not to exceed one hundred dollars, and the imprisonment not to exceed six months in the county jail." (Miss. Code 97-35-9)

Two limits matter. The disturbance must be willful, and it must disturb the peace of a family or a person. The fine is capped at $100, though a court may impose up to six months in the county jail as well or instead.

Disturbing the public peace (97-35-15)

Section 97-35-15(1) is broader. It reaches anyone who "disturbs the public peace, or the peace of others, by violent, or loud, or insulting, or profane, or indecent, or offensive, or boisterous conduct or language," as well as conduct calculated to provoke, or that may lead to, a breach of the peace. It is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $500, up to six months in the county jail, or both. The section says it is "supplementary to the provisions of any other statute of this state" (97-35-15(3)).

This statute speaks of loud conduct or language rather than noise as such, so it is the general peace-disturbance charge, not a decibel rule.

Disturbances in public places (97-35-13)

A person who enters a public place of business, or "any other public place whatsoever," and creates a disturbance or breach of the peace "in any way whatsoever, including, but not restricted to, loud and offensive talk" commits a misdemeanor under 97-35-13. The penalty is a fine of not more than $500, up to six months in jail, or both. The section applies to public places, not to a private home.

Disturbing worship and funerals (97-35-17, 97-35-18)

A person who "shall wilfully disturb any congregation of persons lawfully assembled for religious worship" may be "immediately arrested by any officer or private person, without warrant," and on conviction faces a fine of not more than $500, up to six months in jail, or both (97-35-17).

Under 97-35-18(2)(a)(i), a person who, "With intent to disrupt a funeral service, graveside service, memorial service, or funeral ceremony, protests or pickets within 1,000 feet of the location or locations at which the service or ceremony is being conducted within one (1) hour before, during, and one (1) hour following the service or ceremony" commits a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $500, up to six months in the county jail, or both. A second or later violation is a gross misdemeanor with a fine of up to $1,000, up to one year in the county jail, or both (97-35-18(2)(b)). A court may also enjoin the conduct and award damages, including attorney fees (97-35-18(3)).

State misdemeanors are also city offenses

Under 21-13-19, every misdemeanor in Mississippi's penal laws is, "without further action of the municipal authorities," also an offense against the city where it is committed. For those offenses, jail is limited to six months and any fine to $1,000 for each violation "in any case tried without a jury." So a disturbing-the-peace offense committed inside city limits is also an offense against that city.

Vehicle noise: mufflers and horns

Section 63-7-55 sets the muffler rule:

"Every motor vehicle shall at all times be equipped with a muffler in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise and annoying smoke. No person shall use a muffler cutout, bypass or similar device upon a motor vehicle on a highway."

The section sets no decibel number. Horns are covered by 63-7-65(1): a driver gives an audible warning with the horn "when reasonably necessary to insure safe operation" but "shall not otherwise use such horn upon a highway," and "No horn or other warning device shall emit an unreasonably loud or harsh sound or a whistle." Ordinary vehicles may not carry or use a siren, whistle or bell except as the section permits (63-7-65(3)). These are warning-device rules; the equipment chapter's sound provisions are the muffler and horn sections.

Driving or moving a vehicle equipped in violation of the equipment chapter is a misdemeanor (63-7-7). Unless another penalty applies, the penalty section, 63-9-11(2), provides:

• First conviction: a fine of not more than $100 or imprisonment for not more than 10 days.
• Second conviction within one year: a fine of not more than $200, imprisonment for not more than 20 days, or both.
• Third or later conviction within one year after the first: a fine of not more than $500, imprisonment for not more than six months, or both.

Those figures are maximums. A state assessment is also imposed on top of any fine or other penalty for a Title 63 violation (99-19-73(1)); the amount is set in that section's schedule.

A driver charged with a misdemeanor under Chapter 3, 5 or 7 of Title 63, which includes the muffler and horn sections, may be eligible to complete a traffic safety violator course of at least four hours and have no record of the violation on the driving record, if the driver meets the conditions in 63-9-11(3)(a), including a valid Mississippi license or permit and no conviction under those chapters within the prior three years. On proof of completion, the court dismisses the prosecution (63-9-11(3)(b)).

State park quiet hours and sound rules

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks sets statewide rules for state parks in 40 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 6, R. 1.2. They are the one place on this page where state rules set hours and a decibel figure:

• Quiet hours: "From 10:00 P.M. to 6:00 A.M. will be considered 'quiet hours.'" During that time a park may be closed to the general public except registered guests, and closing hours vary by park.
• Sound equipment: "No person shall operate or use radios, phonographs, or other sound producing equipment in any area of the park or lake, which is audible beyond the immediate vicinity so as to disturb any other persons."
• Off-road vehicles: the rule bars an off-road vehicle from emitting a noise of 90 decibels while in operation (the published text reads "omit," where "emit" is meant), and "No ORV shall operate in a loud, annoying manner as to DISTURB other park guests."
• Boats on park lakes: "No boat shall operate in a loud, annoying manner as to disturb other park guest(s)." The boater or boat may be evicted from the park without refund.
• Generators: "No one shall use portable generators without the permission of the park manager."

Quiet hours at home are set by your city

Apart from the state park rules, none of the state statutes on this page sets quiet hours, construction hours or decibel limits for homes. Those rules, where they exist, are in your city's ordinances; county boards of supervisors also have their own ordinance power, described below.

Cities get that authority from general grants rather than a noise-specific statute. Section 21-19-15(1) lets a city "make all needful police regulations necessary for the preservation of good order and peace of the municipality," and 21-19-15(2) lets it regulate or prohibit a mill, laundry or manufacturing plant whose "unnecessary noises" may damage or interfere with the use of public or private property. Under home rule, 21-17-5(1) lets a city adopt ordinances on municipal affairs that are "not inconsistent with" the state constitution, the Mississippi Code or other state law, and 21-19-1(1) lets a city "prevent, remove, and abate nuisances."

County boards of supervisors may adopt ordinances on county affairs "for which no specific provision has been made by general law" and that are not inconsistent with state law (19-3-40(1)). A county ordinance applies countywide unless a city adopts one "governing the same general subject matter," in which case "the municipal order, resolution or ordinance shall govern within the corporate limits of the municipality."

To find your local rule, look up your city's code of ordinances on the city website or ask the city clerk, and check the county code if you live outside city limits.

Dealing with a loud neighbor in Mississippi

• A disturbance happening now: call your local police non-emergency line. Willful disturbance by loud or unusual noise (97-35-9) and disturbing the peace (97-35-15) are criminal offenses, and both are also city offenses (21-13-19).
• A recurring problem: ask your city code enforcement office or city clerk which ordinance applies and how complaints are filed.
• Renters: state law requires a tenant to "Conduct himself and require other persons on the premises with his consent to conduct themselves in a manner that will not disturb his neighbors' peaceful enjoyment of their premises" (Miss. Code 89-8-25). For a material breach, the landlord may give written notice that the rental agreement will end on a date at least 14 days after the tenant receives it if the breach is not remedied within a reasonable time not over 14 days; if substantially the same breach recurs within six months, the landlord may end the agreement on at least 14 days' notice (89-8-13(1), (3)). See our guide to Mississippi landlord-tenant laws for the rental rules.
• Fireworks: since July 1, 2025, state law bars retail fireworks sales before May 23 and after July 12, and before December 5 and after January 9, and makes it unlawful to ignite or discharge fireworks "within six hundred (600) feet of any church, hospital or school" (45-13-9). A first violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to one year in the county jail, or both (45-13-15). Cities may "prohibit or regulate the sale or use of" fireworks (21-19-15(3)). See Mississippi fireworks laws.

Mississippi's statutory nuisance abatement action, which the attorney general, district attorney, county attorney or any citizen of the county may bring in equity (95-3-5), is defined around places where lewdness, assignation or prostitution occurs or where controlled substances are unlawfully used, possessed, sold or delivered (95-3-1(c)). It is not a noise remedy. A private lawsuit over a neighbor's noise is outside the statutes covered here; a Mississippi lawyer can advise on one.

Limits on noise complaints: farms, shooting ranges and bars

Farms. "In any nuisance action, public or private, against an agricultural operation, including forestry activity, proof that the agricultural operation, including forestry activity, has existed for one (1) year or more is an absolute defense to the nuisance action, if the operation is in compliance with all applicable state and federal permits" (95-3-29(1)). The section does not mention noise by name, but it covers any nuisance action.

Shooting ranges. A person who operates or uses a sport shooting range "is not subject to civil liability or criminal prosecution for noise or noise pollution resulting from the operation or use of the range if the range is in compliance with all noise control laws, resolutions, ordinances or regulations, issued by a local unit of government, that applied to the range and its operation at the time the range was constructed and began operation" (95-13-1(2)(a)). The protection is narrow: the range must sit wholly within a tract of not less than 320 contiguous acres (95-13-1(3)(a)), and the section applies only "in a county bordering the State of Tennessee wherein U.S. Highway 78 intersects State Highway 7 and in a county where U.S. Highway 61 and State Highway 4 intersect" (95-13-1(4)). Where it applies, a later owner of land affected by a permanently located and improved range may not bring a nuisance action to restrain its use unless there has been a substantial change in the nature of that use (95-13-1(2)(c)), and state agency outdoor noise limits do not apply to an exempt range (95-13-1(2)(d)). Owners of property within 1,000 yards of the range may object at a hearing before the Industrial Development Authority Board, and "Claims of persons who do not appear and object shall be barred as provided in this section" (95-13-1(3)(a), (e)).

Beer and light wine retailers. Among the acts barred for these retailers is "To permit loud, boisterous or disorderly conduct of any kind upon the premises or to permit the use of loud musical instruments if either or any of the same may disturb the peace and quietude of the community in which the business is located" (67-3-53). This is a permit holder's duty, not a general music rule. A violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to six months, or both, and a permit holder's conviction voids the permit, with no new permit under the chapter for one year (67-3-69(1)).

About the statute text

Mississippi publishes its official code through a LexisNexis public-access portal. Acts passed in the Legislature's 2021 through 2026 regular sessions amended four sections cited on this page: 89-8-13 (2022) and 45-13-9 and 45-13-15 (2025), which this page states as amended, and 21-19-1 (2026), which gained a provision on garbage fees while the nuisance wording quoted from it stayed the same. The legislature's bill-status index lists no act in those sessions amending the other sections quoted here. Check the portal or your court clerk for the current wording before relying on an exact quote.

Related pages

• Noise ordinance laws by state
• Mississippi landlord-tenant laws
• Mississippi fireworks laws
• Louisiana noise ordinance laws
• Alabama noise ordinance laws

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

Last updated: 2026-10-10.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the noise laws in Mississippi?

Willfully disturbing a family or person by loud or unusual noise is a crime under Miss. Code 97-35-9, and disturbing the peace by loud or boisterous conduct or language is a misdemeanor under 97-35-15. Vehicles must have a working muffler (63-7-55). Quiet hours and decibel limits for homes come from city ordinances.

What are the quiet hours in Mississippi?

Mississippi state parks observe quiet hours from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. (40 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 6, R. 1.2). None of the state statutes on this page sets quiet hours for homes, so check your city code.

Is a loud neighbor illegal in Mississippi?

It can be. A person who willfully disturbs the peace of any family or person by loud or unusual noise faces a fine of up to $100, up to six months in the county jail, or both (97-35-9). Your city ordinance may set quiet hours or limits as well.

What is the penalty for disturbing the peace in Mississippi?

Under 97-35-15, disturbing the public peace or the peace of others is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to six months in the county jail, or both. Under 97-35-9, willful disturbance by loud or unusual noise carries a fine of up to $100, up to six months in the county jail, or both.

What is the fine for a loud muffler in Mississippi?

A muffler violation under 63-7-55 is a misdemeanor. A first conviction carries a fine of up to $100 or up to 10 days in jail; a second within a year up to $200, 20 days or both; a third or later within a year up to $500, six months or both (63-9-11). A state assessment is added to the fine (99-19-73).

Who do I call about a noise complaint in Mississippi?

Call your local police non-emergency line for a disturbance in progress, since 97-35-9 and 97-35-15 are criminal offenses and state misdemeanors are also city offenses (21-13-19). For an ongoing problem, ask your city clerk or code office which noise ordinance applies.