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

Ohio's main state noise offense is disorderly conduct, and most neighborhood limits, such as quiet hours and decibel levels for homes, come from city ordinances and township regulations. Under Ohio Revised Code 2917.11(A)(2), no person shall recklessly cause inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm to another by "making unreasonable noise," a minor misdemeanor (fine of up to $150) that becomes a fourth-degree misdemeanor (up to 30 days in jail and a $250 fine) when the offender persists after a reasonable warning or request to stop. 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 Ohio state law: disorderly conduct (ORC 2917.11) and the misdemeanor jail and fine ranges (2929.24, 2929.28); municipal noise power (715.49); township noise and vehicle-noise regulations (505.17, 505.172); county and township vehicle decibel limits (4513.221); mufflers and horns (4513.21, 4513.22); powercraft noise (1547.31); shooting range rules and immunity (1533.84, 1533.85, OAC 1501:31-29-03); the agricultural nuisance defense and noise exemption (929.04, 3767.13(D)); public nuisance abatement actions (3767.03); state park noise rules (OAC 1501:46-9-06); the tenant duty not to disturb neighbors (5321.05, 5321.11); consumer fireworks days (3743.45); snowmobile and all-purpose vehicle mufflers (4519.20); funeral protests and disturbing a lawful meeting (3767.30, 2917.12); and citation instead of arrest for minor misdemeanors (2935.26). It does not cover the text of any city or village noise ordinance, township regulations as adopted, county rules, lease terms, private lawsuits based on court-made nuisance law, aircraft or workplace noise, or the law of other states. Statute and rule text is the version published on the official Ohio Laws and Administrative Rules site (codes.ohio.gov).

Ohio noise laws at a glance

The amounts in the table are statutory ceilings; the court sets the actual fine within the range.

Is loud noise a crime in Ohio?

It can be, under the disorderly conduct statute. Section 2917.11(A) reads:

"No person shall recklessly cause inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm to another by doing any of the following: ... (2) Making unreasonable noise or an offensively coarse utterance, gesture, or display or communicating unwarranted and grossly abusive language to any person"

The statute has three working parts. The noise must be unreasonable; the person must act recklessly; and the noise must cause inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm to another person.

Penalty. "Except as otherwise provided in divisions (E)(3) and (4) of this section, disorderly conduct is a minor misdemeanor" (2917.11(E)(2)). The fine for a minor misdemeanor is "not more than one hundred fifty dollars" (2929.28(A)(2)(a)(v)).

When it becomes a jailable offense. Disorderly conduct "is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree if any of the following applies: (a) The offender persists in disorderly conduct after reasonable warning or request to desist" (2917.11(E)(3)(a)). Division (E)(3) lists other circumstances as well. A fourth-degree misdemeanor carries up to 30 days in jail (2929.24(A)(4)) and a fine of up to $250 (2929.28(A)(2)(a)(iv)).

In practice, this is why a warning matters. Being asked to turn the music down, and continuing anyway, is the circumstance the statute names for raising the charge.

Ohio misdemeanor penalty ranges

Ohio's noise rules are spread across several misdemeanor classes. These are the ceilings the Revised Code sets:

For a minor misdemeanor, an officer who could otherwise arrest "shall not arrest the person, but shall issue a citation," unless an exception applies, such as the offender cannot or will not offer satisfactory evidence of identity or refuses to sign the citation (2935.26(A)).

Quiet hours and decibel limits in Ohio

The statewide rules that set hours or decibel levels cover specific settings, not neighborhoods in general:

• State parks. In any area the rule covers, no person may make noise, "including but not limited to, playing a radio or other electronically amplified device, or a musical instrument, or operating a motorized generator in any way that disturbs the peace and quiet of other persons" (OAC 1501:46-9-06(A)). Between "the quiet hours of ten p.m. and seven a.m., within a campground area, cabin area, lodge area, or other division approved sleeping area," no person may make noise "that disturbs the peace and quiet of other persons" (1501:46-9-06(B)). "Approved special events, park, or concession sponsored activities may be exempt" from both paragraphs (1501:46-9-06).
• Shooting ranges. "The hours of operation for shooting ranges shall be from seven a.m. to ten p.m. daily, except for indoor or archery ranges" (OAC 1501:31-29-03(C)). Range sound is "Unacceptable" if it "exceeds ninety decibels dB(A) for one hour out of twenty-four hours or eighty-five decibels dB(A) for eight hours out of twenty-four hours" measured at the boundaries of the range property (1501:31-29-03(B)).
• Boats. No person may operate a powercraft on Ohio waters in a manner that exceeds 90 decibels on the A scale in a stationary sound level test under SAE J2005, or 75 decibels on the A scale measured as SAE J1970 specifies (1547.31(B)). A violation is a fourth-degree misdemeanor on a first offense (up to 30 days and a $250 fine) and a third-degree misdemeanor on each later offense (up to 60 days and a $500 fine) (1547.99(J), 2929.24, 2929.28). A trained officer who has reason to believe a powercraft is out of compliance may direct the operator to submit it to an on-site noise test and, if it exceeds the limits, to take corrective measures, including returning it to a mooring until the violation is corrected or ceases (1547.31(G)).
• Vehicles on county and township roads. Where a county or township has adopted and posted limits under 4513.221 (see below).

Quiet hours and decibel limits for homes are generally set locally, by your city or village ordinance or, in unincorporated areas, by township regulations. Check your municipal code or call the city or township office.

City and village noise ordinances

Ohio's cities and villages have a direct grant of power over noise. Section 715.49(A) provides:

"Any municipal corporation may prevent riot, gambling, noise and disturbance, and indecent and disorderly conduct or assemblages, preserve the peace and good order, and protect the property of the municipal corporation and its inhabitants."

Noise often crosses city lines, and the statute deals with that. When a city's noise ordinance is violated but "the source of the noise is located outside the borders of that municipal corporation in an adjoining municipal corporation," the city may enforce its ordinance against that source "as long as there is a written agreement between the two municipal corporations permitting such enforcement" (715.49(B)).

Ohio's constitution also gives municipalities authority "to adopt and enforce within their limits such local police, sanitary and other similar regulations, as are not in conflict with general laws" (Ohio Const. art. XVIII, sec. 3).

The quiet hours, decibel limits and penalties in a city noise ordinance are whatever that city's council adopted, so the code itself is the place to look.

Township and county noise rules

Unincorporated Ohio is governed differently, and the township power is narrower than a city's.

Bars and residential areas. Under 505.172(B), "a board of township trustees may adopt regulations and orders that are necessary to control noise within the unincorporated territory of the township that is generated at any premises to which a D permit has been issued by the division of liquor control or that is generated within any areas zoned for residential use." That power is "Except as otherwise provided in this section and section 505.17," and the section lists activities it does not reach. "Whoever violates any regulation or order adopted under division (B) of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree" (505.172(E)), punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $750.

Vehicle noise. Outside municipal limits, township trustees "may make regulations and orders as are necessary to control passenger car, motorcycle, and internal combustion engine noise, as permitted under section 4513.221" (505.17(A)). A violation of a 505.17 regulation is a minor misdemeanor unless the township has enacted a regulation under division (A) of section 4521.02 (505.17(E)).

County and township decibel limits. Section 4513.221(A) lets the board of county commissioners of any county, and township trustees, "regulate passenger car and motorcycle noise on streets and highways under their jurisdiction," with "maximum permissible noise limits measured in decibels." The limits the section sets are:

The limits are measured on the "A" scale at a distance of not less than 50 feet from the center of the line of travel (4513.221(B), (C)).

A regulation does not take effect "until signs giving notice of the regulation are posted" (4513.221(D)). In their unincorporated areas, counties and townships may also prohibit operating a motor vehicle, agricultural tractor, motorcycle, all-purpose vehicle, or snowmobile without a factory-installed or equivalent muffler in good working order, removing or disabling a muffler, discharging the exhaust of a stationary or portable engine except through such a muffler, and racing a motor so the exhaust "emits a loud, cracking, or chattering noise unusual to its normal operation" (4513.221(E)). Violating a maximum noise limit, or a prohibition authorized by division (E), is a minor misdemeanor (4513.221(F)), and "No regulation adopted under this section shall apply to commercial racetrack operations."

Vehicle noise: mufflers and horns

Mufflers. "Every motor vehicle and motorcycle with an internal combustion engine shall at all times be equipped with a muffler which is in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise, and no person shall use a muffler cutout, by-pass, or similar device upon a motor vehicle on a highway. Every motorcycle muffler shall be equipped with baffle plates" (4513.22(A)). A violation is a minor misdemeanor (4513.22(B)), with a fine of up to $150.

Horns. Every motor vehicle operated on a highway must have a horn "in good working order and capable of emitting sound audible, under normal conditions, from a distance of not less than two hundred feet" (4513.21(A)). A violation is a minor misdemeanor (4513.21(B)).

Snowmobiles, off-highway motorcycles and all-purpose vehicles. These must have "a muffler system capable of precluding the emission of excessive smoke or exhaust fumes, and of limiting the engine noise of vehicles," and on snowmobiles manufactured after January 1, 1973, noise may not exceed 82 decibels on the "A" scale at 50 feet (4519.20(A)(4), (B)). A violation carries a fine of not more than $50; for a repeat within the preceding year, a fine of $15 to $100, up to 3 days in jail, or both (4519.20(C)).

Loud neighbors: what you can do in Ohio

1. Check the local rule. Find your city or village noise ordinance, or your township's regulations if you live in unincorporated territory. That is where quiet hours and decibel limits for homes are set.
2. If it is safe, ask the neighbor to stop; then call the police non-emergency line. Unreasonable noise that recklessly causes annoyance is disorderly conduct (2917.11(A)(2)), and persisting after a reasonable warning or request to desist raises it to a fourth-degree misdemeanor (2917.11(E)(3)(a)).
3. Noise from a bar or club. In unincorporated areas, noise generated at a D-permit liquor premises is one of the two categories township trustees may regulate (505.172(B)); contact the township. A person aggrieved by another person's violation of a township noise regulation may seek a declaratory judgment, an injunction, or other relief in a civil action, and the court may award the prevailing party reasonable attorney's fees (505.172(F)). A law enforcement officer may order a D-permit premises to cease and desist when the officer has reasonable cause to believe a violation has caused, is causing, or is about to cause substantial and material harm (505.172(G)). Noise attributed to agricultural activities, coal mining and reclamation or surface mining, and crude oil or natural gas wells and pipelines is exempt from township noise regulations (505.172(C)).
4. Rental property. Every Ohio tenant must 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 the premises" (5321.05(A)(8)). If a tenant fails to fulfill a 5321.05 obligation that materially affects health and safety, the landlord may deliver a written notice specifying the noncompliance and a termination date not less than 30 days after receipt, and the rental agreement terminates as the notice provides if the tenant fails to remedy the condition (5321.11). See our Ohio landlord-tenant laws guide for more.
5. A continuing nuisance. Chapter 3767 allows an action in equity to abate a nuisance. Under 3767.03, "Whenever a nuisance exists," the attorney general, the city director of law or similar chief legal officer, the county prosecuting attorney, the law director of a limited home rule township, "or any person who is a citizen of the county in which the nuisance exists" may bring an action "to abate the nuisance and to perpetually enjoin the person maintaining the nuisance from further maintaining it." A private citizen who brings the action must post a bond of not less than $500 to secure the defendant's damages and reasonable attorney's fees if the action is wrongfully brought, not prosecuted to final judgment, dismissed, or not maintained, or if it is finally decided that an injunction should not have been granted (3767.03). Whether a particular noise problem fits the chapter's definition of a nuisance is a question for a lawyer licensed in Ohio.

Shooting ranges and farms

Ohio protects two kinds of noise sources from many noise claims, on conditions.

Shooting ranges. When a range is established, it "shall comply with all existing local ordinances, regulations, or laws" (1533.84). The state's range rules include standards for the limitation and suppression of noise and for hours of operation, and "shall be no more stringent than national rifle association standards" (1533.84). A range that "substantially complies with the chief's noise rules" gets three protections under 1533.85:

• its owner, operator, or user "is not liable in damages in a civil action to any person for harm that allegedly is caused by the creation of noise at the shooting range" (1533.85(A)(1));
• it "is not subject to criminal prosecution under any section of the Revised Code, or under any ordinance, resolution, or regulation of a political subdivision, that relates to the creation, limitation, or suppression of noise" (1533.85(B)); and
• courts "shall not grant injunctive relief" in a nuisance action against the owner or operator when its conduct substantially complied with the chief's noise rules or public safety rules (1533.85(C)).

The noise rules themselves are the 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. operating hours and the 90 dB(A) and 85 dB(A) property-line thresholds in OAC 1501:31-29-03, described above. Each protection depends on substantial compliance with those rules.

Farms. "In a civil action for nuisances involving agricultural activities, it is a complete defense if" the activities were conducted within an agricultural district or on land devoted exclusively to agricultural use (or under a lease), "were established prior to the plaintiff's activities or interest on which the action is based," and "were not in conflict with federal, state, and local laws and rules relating to the alleged nuisance or were conducted in accordance with generally accepted agriculture practices" (929.04(B)).

Separately, people engaged in agriculture-related activities "outside a municipal corporation, in accordance with generally accepted agricultural practices, and in such a manner so as not to have a substantial, adverse effect on the public health, safety, or welfare" are exempt "from any ordinances, resolutions, rules, or other enactments of a state agency or political subdivision that prohibit excessive noise" (3767.13(D)).

Fireworks noise

A person who lawfully possesses 1.4G (consumer) fireworks may discharge them on private property, with authorization from the property owner, on these days each year: January 1; Chinese new year's day; May 5; the last Monday in May and the Saturday and Sunday before it; June 19; July 3, 4 and 5; the first Friday, Saturday and Sunday before and after July 4; the first Monday of September and the Saturday and Sunday before it; Diwali; and December 31 (3743.45(B)).

A county (for its unincorporated territory), a township (for its unincorporated territory), or a municipal corporation may restrict the dates and times of discharge or ban it (3743.45(D)). The statute also says: "This section does not limit the enforcement of any ordinance, resolution, or statute that regulates noise, disturbance of the peace, or disorderly conduct" (3743.45(E)). See our Ohio fireworks laws guide for more.

Funerals and meetings

No person may "picket or engage in other protest activities" within 300 feet of any residence, cemetery, funeral home, church, synagogue, or other establishment "during or within one hour before or one hour after the conducting of an actual funeral or burial service at that place," or within 300 feet of a funeral procession (3767.30). "Other protest activities" means "any action that is disruptive or undertaken to disrupt or disturb a funeral or burial service or a funeral procession" (3767.30). A natural person who violates the section commits a third-degree misdemeanor (3767.99(C)), up to 60 days and a $500 fine (2929.24, 2929.28).

No person, "with purpose to prevent or disrupt a lawful meeting, procession, or gathering," may obstruct or interfere with it or make "any utterance, gesture, or display which outrages the sensibilities of the group" (2917.12(A)). Disturbing a lawful meeting is a fourth-degree misdemeanor, and a first-degree misdemeanor (up to 180 days and a $1,000 fine) when committed with intent to disturb an assemblage met for religious worship at a tax-exempt place of worship, or a virtual gathering for religious worship (2917.12(B), 2929.24, 2929.28).

Related pages

• Noise ordinance laws by state
• Ohio landlord-tenant laws
• Ohio fireworks laws
• Indiana noise ordinance laws
• Michigan noise ordinance laws

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

Last updated: 2026-10-10.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the noise laws in Ohio?

Recklessly causing inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm to another by making unreasonable noise is disorderly conduct under ORC 2917.11(A)(2). Cities may prevent noise and disturbance (715.49), townships may regulate noise at liquor D-permit premises and in residential zones (505.172), and quiet hours for homes come from those local rules.

What are the quiet hours in Ohio?

State park campgrounds, cabins, lodges and approved sleeping areas have quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (OAC 1501:46-9-06), and shooting ranges operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. except indoor and archery ranges (OAC 1501:31-29-03). Quiet hours for homes are set by your city, village or township.

Is a loud neighbor disorderly conduct in Ohio?

It can be if the neighbor recklessly causes inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm by making unreasonable noise (2917.11(A)(2)). It is a minor misdemeanor, fine up to $150, unless the neighbor persists after a reasonable warning or request to desist, which makes it a fourth-degree misdemeanor.

What is the fine for disorderly conduct noise in Ohio?

A minor misdemeanor carries a fine of up to $150 (2929.28). If the offender persists after a warning, the fourth-degree misdemeanor carries up to 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $250 (2929.24, 2929.28).

Can a township enforce noise rules in Ohio?

Yes, within limits. Township trustees may regulate noise in unincorporated territory generated at liquor D-permit premises or in residentially zoned areas (505.172), and a violation is a second-degree misdemeanor, up to 90 days and a $750 fine. They may also regulate vehicle and engine noise under 505.17 and 4513.221.

What is the fine for a loud muffler in Ohio?

Driving without a working muffler, or with a cutout or bypass, is a minor misdemeanor under ORC 4513.22, with a fine of up to $150 (2929.28). Where a county or township has posted decibel limits, exceeding them is also a minor misdemeanor (4513.221).

Can a shooting range be sued for noise in Ohio?

Not for noise damages, if the range substantially complies with the state noise rules: it is not liable for noise harm, not subject to noise prosecutions, and not subject to nuisance injunctions on that basis (1533.85). The rules set 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. hours and 90 and 85 dB(A) property-line thresholds (OAC 1501:31-29-03).