Louisville noise rules at a glance
- Governing code: Louisville Metro Code of Ordinances, Chapter 99 (Noise)
- Quiet hours: Overnight restrictions apply from 7:00 AM in reverse — refuse collection is confined to daytime hours, and animal noise has its own 10:00 PM – 7:00 AM window
- How violations are judged: Plainly-audible standard
- Complaints: MetroCall 311
How Louisville decides what counts as too loud
Louisville Metro prohibits unreasonably loud, harsh or excessive noise that annoys or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of others, and works from plain audibility rather than a residential decibel table.
Noise limits in Louisville
| Applies to | Daytime | Night |
|---|---|---|
| General | Unreasonably loud, harsh or excessive noise annoying or disturbing others is prohibited | Same standard, applied with less tolerance overnight |
| Portable generators | May not exceed 70 decibels | Same limit |
| Refuse collection | Permitted from 6:00 AM | Restricted outside daytime hours |
What's specific to Louisville
- LMPD publishes a standard operating procedure for the noise ordinance, which is worth reading alongside the code because it describes how officers actually apply it.
- The 70-decibel generator limit is one of the few hard numbers in the chapter.
- Because the general standard is qualitative, a documented pattern carries more weight than a single reading.
What Louisville residents most often report
- Amplified music and parties judged against the general unreasonable-noise standard.
- Portable generators, which carry the chapter's 70-decibel limit.
- Early refuse collection and commercial deliveries in residential streets.
How to measure it in Louisville
A single loud night is rarely enough here. Louisville's test is whether the noise was unreasonable and disturbed the comfort or repose of others, so the evidence that moves it is repetition — several timestamped sessions on different nights, each showing when the noise started, how long it ran, and how loud it was at your property. Note the distance and where you stood, since plain audibility is the operative test.
Record levels with the free online decibel meter, and log the date, start time and duration with each reading. A phone microphone is accurate to roughly ±2 dB and is not a calibrated instrument — enough to establish a pattern, not enough for an enforcement hearing.
Turn your readings into something you can file
MetroCall 311 will ask when the noise happens and how long it lasts. A live decibel reading answers neither. Pro records a timestamped session — a ten-minute check or a full night — charts the whole thing, and exports a PDF with the dates, times, duration and the statistics that describe a pattern rather than a moment.
- Timestamped sessions with the recording timezone
- Leq and L10/L50/L90 background levels
- Print-ready PDF report, one click
- Your last 25 sessions, kept on your device
Measurements stay on your device on the subscription plans. A phone microphone is not a calibrated instrument — a session establishes a pattern, and this page is not legal advice.
How to file a noise complaint in Louisville
MetroCall takes noise reports for Louisville Metro; LMPD handles parties and immediate disturbances under its own standard operating procedure for the noise ordinance.
Sources
Municipal codes are amended regularly and enforcement practice varies by neighbourhood and agency. This page summarises the code as of 2026-08-10 and is not legal advice — confirm against the linked code before relying on any figure, and consult a lawyer for a dispute.
Noise ordinances in other metros
See all US metro noise ordinances or read how many decibels is too loud.