Missouri Noise Laws (2026): Peace Disturbance, Quiet Hours, Fines

Missouri's main state noise offense is peace disturbance, and most neighborhood limits, such as quiet hours and decibel levels for homes, come from city and county ordinances. Under RSMo 574.010.1(1)(a), a person who "unreasonably and knowingly disturbs or alarms another person or persons by" "loud noise" commits peace disturbance, a class B misdemeanor on a first conviction (574.010.2). 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 Missouri state law: peace disturbance and private peace disturbance (RSMo 574.010, 574.020) with the misdemeanor terms and fines (558.011, 558.002); vehicle noise and its penalty (307.170, 304.570); recreational motorboat sound and mufflers (306.090, 306.147, 306.210); blasting (319.312); noise near a house of worship and funeral protests (574.035, 574.160); city and county ordinance powers and city ordinance penalties (77.570, 77.590, 79.450, 79.470, 71.990, 49.650) and the cap on minor traffic fines in municipal court (479.353); the neighbor nuisance actions in counties over 1,000,000 inhabitants and in certain cities (67.452, 82.1025, 82.1027); firearm range immunity (537.294); the right-to-farm defense (537.295); and the state park rules (10 CSR 90-2.020, 90-2.030). It does not cover the text of any city or county noise ordinance, county charters, lease terms, private lawsuits based on court-made nuisance law, aircraft or workplace noise, or the law of other states. Statute text is the version the Missouri Revisor of Statutes publishes on its official site.

Missouri noise laws at a glance

Peace disturbance: Missouri's main noise offense

Section 574.010.1 defines the offense:

"A person commits the offense of peace disturbance if he or she: (1) Unreasonably and knowingly disturbs or alarms another person or persons by: (a) Loud noise; or (b) Offensive language addressed in a face-to-face manner to a specific individual and uttered under circumstances which are likely to produce an immediate violent response from a reasonable recipient"

The noise must be loud, and the statute requires that the person disturb or alarm others both unreasonably and knowingly.

Penalties

Section 574.010.2 sets an escalating scale:

• First conviction: class B misdemeanor, up to six months in jail (558.011.1(7)) and a fine of up to $1,000 (558.002.1(3)).
• Second or later conviction: class A misdemeanor, up to one year (558.011.1(6)) and a fine of up to $2,000 (558.002.1(2)).
• Third or later conviction: "a person shall be sentenced to pay a fine of no less than one thousand dollars and no more than five thousand dollars."

These ranges apply to a state charge under 574.010. A ticket under a city's own noise ordinance carries the penalty the city sets, described below.

Private peace disturbance has no noise element

Missouri's separate offense of private peace disturbance (574.020) covers a person on private property who "unreasonably and purposely causes alarm to another person or persons on the same premises by: (1) Threatening to commit an offense against any person; or (2) Fighting." It is a class C misdemeanor (up to 15 days, 558.011.1(8); fine up to $750, 558.002.1(4)). Loud music or a party is not one of its elements; noise falls under 574.010.

Noise that disrupts worship, and funeral protests

Under the House of Worship Protection Act, a person commits an offense who "Intentionally and unreasonably disturbs, interrupts, or disquiets any house of worship by using profane discourse, rude or indecent behavior, or making noise either within the house of worship or so near it as to disturb the order and solemnity of the worship services" (574.035.3(1)). It is a class B misdemeanor, a class A misdemeanor for a second offense, and a class E felony for a third or later offense (574.035.4). In 2015 the federal appeals court held the "profane discourse" and "rude or indecent behavior" wording unconstitutional; that ruling did not address the noise wording.

A separate offense, unlawful funeral protest, covers picketing or "other protest activities" within 300 feet of a funeral or burial site during the service or within one hour before or after it (574.160.1). "Other protest activities" means "any action that is disruptive or undertaken to disrupt or disturb a funeral or burial service" (574.160.2). It is a class B misdemeanor, or a class A misdemeanor for a person previously found guilty under the section (574.160.4).

Vehicle noise: mufflers and horns

Section 307.170.2 states:

"Muffler cutouts shall not be used and no vehicle shall be driven in such manner or condition that excessive and unnecessary noises shall be made by its machinery, motor, signaling device, or other parts, or by any improperly loaded cargo. The motors of all motor vehicles shall be fitted with properly attached mufflers of such capacity or construction as to quiet the maximum possible exhaust noise as completely as is done in modern gas engine passenger motor vehicles."

A horn or other signaling device "shall be used for warning purposes only and shall not be used for making any unnecessary noise" (307.170.1). The section sets no decibel figure, and its text names a vehicle's machinery, motor, signaling device, other parts and cargo; it does not mention sound systems.

The penalty comes from 304.570, which covers violations of sections 307.020 to 307.295 "for which no specific punishment is provided": a fine of not less than $5 nor more than $500, imprisonment in the county jail for up to one year, or both. These are statutory limits. If a city writes the ticket under its own traffic ordinance, 479.353.1(1)(a) caps the fine plus court costs for a minor traffic violation (as defined in 479.350(3)) at $225.

Statewide decibel limits: boats and blasting

Missouri's statutes set decibel numbers in two settings, neither of them a home:

• Recreational motorboats. "It is unlawful for any person to operate a recreational motorboat upon the waters of this state in any manner under any condition so that the recreational motorboat emits sound at a level exceeding eighty-six decibels on an A-weighted scale when measured from a distance of fifty or more feet from the recreational motorboat" (306.090.1). A violation is a class B misdemeanor under the chapter's general penalty section (306.210). Under 306.147.2, a motorboat made after January 1, 1996 may not exceed "90dB(A) when subjected to a stationary sound level test as prescribed by SAE J2005," and an older motorboat may not exceed 86 dB(A) under SAE J34 measured from 50 or more feet. An owner has 60 days from a violation to bring the boat into compliance, and failing to comply with an officer's request for an on-site sound test is a class C misdemeanor (306.147.8). A knowing violation of section 306.147 is otherwise an infraction with a penalty of up to $100 for a first offense, up to $200 for a second and up to $300 for a third or later (306.147.10).
• Blasting. Where seismograph monitoring is required, a person using explosives must "limit acoustic values from blasting to one hundred thirty-three decibels using a two hertz flat response measuring system" (319.312.2).

State park quiet hours

The Department of Natural Resources' state park rules are the one place on this page where state rules set quiet hours:

"Campground quiet hours are between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. All non-campers are required to leave the campground by 10:00 p.m. This regulation prohibits any excessive or disruptive noises that are defined as noise emanating from radios, stereo systems, televisions, electric generators, loud conversations, etc., which can be heard by other persons not on the same campsite or same general area." (10 CSR 90-2.030(6))

The same rule says excessive or disruptive noise "is not permitted between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. also, unless otherwise allowed by the facility manager." Park visitors also may not "unreasonably disturb or annoy others," and the rule gives as an example "the operation of any music making or noise-making device at a volume determined by authorized personnel to be excessive" (10 CSR 90-2.020(8)). ATVs and motorcycles in park off-road vehicle areas need a muffler "designed so that the noise level does not exceed eighty-six (86) dbA" (10 CSR 90-2.030).

Quiet hours at home are set by your city or county

Apart from the rules above, none of the state statutes on this page sets quiet hours, construction hours or decibel limits for homes. Those come from local ordinances.

For third-class and fourth-class cities, state law directs the governing body to act on noise. The board of aldermen of a fourth-class city "shall also enact ordinances to restrain and prohibit riots, noises, assaults and batteries, disturbances of the peace" (79.450.2), and a third-class city council has parallel wording, "The council shall also enact ordinances to restrain and prohibit riots, noises, assaults and battery, petit larceny, disturbances of the peace" (77.570). A local government's rules on a home-based business must be "narrowly tailored" for listed purposes, which include "noise control" (71.990.4(1)).

Counties without a charter may adopt ordinances on "Nuisance abatement, excluding agricultural and horticultural property," for which no constitutional or statutory provision has been made (49.650.1(3)); a county of the third classification may not enact an ordinance on agricultural operations under that section (49.650.5). The section does not name noise.

To find your 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 in an unincorporated area.

Penalties for a city noise ordinance

The city sets the penalty for its own noise ordinance, within limits in state law. A third-class city may enforce its ordinances with a "fine not exceeding five hundred dollars, and such imprisonment not exceeding three months, or both" (77.590). A fourth-class city "may impose penalties not exceeding a fine of five hundred dollars and costs, or ninety days' imprisonment, or both the fine and imprisonment" (79.470).

Both sections add a limit: where a state statute fixes the penalty for the same offense, the city must set the same penalty by ordinance (77.590, 79.470). Check your city's code for the penalty it has set.

Dealing with a loud neighbor in Missouri

• A disturbance happening now: call your local police non-emergency line; peace disturbance by loud noise is a crime under 574.010.
• A recurring problem: ask your city code enforcement office or city clerk which noise ordinance applies and how complaints are filed.
• Renters: Missouri's landlord-tenant chapters (441 and 535) contain no provision addressing noise, so check your lease and local ordinances; see Missouri landlord-tenant laws for the rental rules.
• Fireworks: see Missouri fireworks laws for the state's fireworks rules.

A neighbor nuisance suit in the largest counties

Section 67.452 creates a nuisance action that applies only to a nuisance located in "any county with more than one million inhabitants" or "any city or village located within the boundaries of" such a county (67.452.2). It defines a "code or ordinance violation" as "a violation under the provisions of a municipal or county code or ordinance that regulates fire prevention, animal control, noise control, property maintenance, building construction, health, safety, neighborhood detriment, sanitation, or nuisances" (67.452.1(1)). "Any property owner who owns property within one thousand two hundred feet of a parcel of property that is alleged to be a nuisance may bring a nuisance action under this section against the offending property owner" (67.452.3). An owner within 1,200 feet, or a qualifying neighborhood organization, may also sue for an injunction to abate the nuisance (67.452.4). No suit may be filed until 60 days after notice of intent is mailed to the tenant and the owner of record (67.452.5), and a prevailing plaintiff may be awarded attorneys' fees (67.452.9). This version of the section took effect August 28, 2025.

A parallel action under 82.1025, whose definition also counts violations of city ordinances that regulate "noise control" (82.1027(1)), applies in "Any city not within a county," "Any home rule city with at least three hundred fifty thousand inhabitants which is located in more than one county," and home rule cities of more than 160,000 but fewer than 200,000, or more than 71,000 but fewer than 79,000, inhabitants (82.1025.1). The Revisor's heading for that section names St. Louis City, Kansas City, Springfield and St. Charles. It has the same 1,200-foot standing, 60-day notice and attorneys' fees provisions (82.1025.2 to 82.1025.4, 82.1025.8).

Limits on noise complaints: shooting ranges and farms

Firearm ranges. "All owners and authorized users of firearm ranges shall be immune from any criminal and civil liability arising out of or as a consequence of noise or sound emission resulting from the use of any such firearm range." They are not subject to a tort action or "any action for public or private nuisance or trespass," and "no court in this state shall enjoin the use or operation of such firearm ranges on the basis of noise or sound emission" (537.294.2). The section does not limit civil liability for compensatory damage from physical injury to a person, tangible personal property, or fixtures or structures on real property (537.294.4). The text contains no acreage or county limit. The same immunity covers noise "resulting from the normal use of" a hunting preserve, defined as a hunting preserve or licensed shooting area operating under a Missouri Department of Conservation permit (537.294.1(2), 537.294.3).

Farms. "No agricultural operation or any of its appurtenances shall be deemed to be a nuisance, private or public, by any changed conditions in the locality thereof after the facility has been in operation for more than one year, when the facility was not a nuisance at the time the operation began" (537.295.1). The protection does not apply "whenever a nuisance results from the negligent or improper operation" of the operation, or to a nuisance from an agricultural operation "located within the limits of any city, town or village on August 13, 1982" (537.295.4). If a court finds a nuisance suit against a farm frivolous, the farm recovers its reasonable costs and attorneys' fees (537.295.5). The section does not name noise.

Related pages

• Noise ordinance laws by state
• Missouri landlord-tenant laws
• Missouri fireworks laws
• Kansas noise ordinance laws
• Illinois noise ordinance laws

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

Last updated: 2026-10-10.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the noise laws in Missouri?

Unreasonably and knowingly disturbing or alarming another person by loud noise is peace disturbance under RSMo 574.010. Vehicles may not make excessive and unnecessary noises (307.170), and motorboats are limited to 86 dB(A) at 50 feet (306.090). Quiet hours and decibel limits for homes come from city and county ordinances.

What are the quiet hours in Missouri?

State park campgrounds have quiet hours from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. (10 CSR 90-2.030(6)). None of the state statutes on this page sets quiet hours for homes, so check your city or county code.

Is a loud neighbor peace disturbance in Missouri?

It can be if the person unreasonably and knowingly disturbs or alarms you by loud noise (574.010.1(1)(a)). Private peace disturbance under 574.020 covers threats and fighting on private property, not noise.

What is the penalty for peace disturbance in Missouri?

A first conviction is a class B misdemeanor: up to 6 months in jail (558.011) and a fine of up to $1,000 (558.002). A second is a class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year, up to $2,000), and a third or later carries a fine of $1,000 to $5,000 (574.010.2).

How much is a noise ticket under a Missouri city ordinance?

The city sets the penalty in its ordinance, within state limits. A third-class city may impose a fine of up to $500, imprisonment of up to 3 months, or both (RSMo 77.590); a fourth-class city may impose a fine of up to $500 and costs, up to 90 days, or both (79.470). Where a state statute fixes the penalty for the same offense, the city must set the same penalty. Check your city's code for the amount.

What is the fine for a loud muffler in Missouri?

A violation of 307.170, which bans muffler cutouts and excessive and unnecessary vehicle noise, carries a fine of $5 to $500, up to 1 year in the county jail, or both (304.570). Those are the statutory limits, not a scheduled amount.

Can a shooting range be sued for noise in Missouri?

Not on the basis of noise. Owners and authorized users of firearm ranges are immune from criminal and civil liability for noise or sound emission from the range, and no Missouri court may enjoin a range on that basis (537.294.2). Claims for physical injury to people or property remain (537.294.4).