Davidson County Noise Ordinance: Decibel Limits, Hours & Exemptions

The Davidson County noise ordinance, found in Title 9 of the Metropolitan Code, controls amplified sound, commercial noise, vehicle exhaust, and construction activity across Nashville. It uses two different enforcement standards: a “plainly audible” test for most amplified sound, and decibel limits for commercial operations near residential zones. The rules were last expanded in 2023 to reach downtown entertainment venues and short-term rentals.

The Two Standards You Need to Know

Most of the ordinance runs on a “plainly audible” standard. The code defines that as any sound a person with normal hearing can clearly detect, even if individual words or notes aren’t distinguishable. Bass thump counts.¹ An officer doesn’t need a sound meter. If they can hear the noise from the location the ordinance specifies, that supports a citation.

The decibel standard is narrower. It applies to commercial and business noise near residential zones, where inspectors measure sound with calibrated equipment at a specific point outside residential walls. Which test applies depends on the type of noise and where it’s happening.

Amplified Sound at Home

Under Section 9.20.010, you can’t operate sound amplification equipment so that the sound is plainly audible from the property line of the nearest occupied residence.² This covers stereos, TVs, instruments running through amps, and any other device that produces or reproduces sound electronically. There’s no decibel number and no distance in feet. If the neighbor can hear it at their property line, the source is in violation.

In apartments, condos, and other multifamily buildings, property lines don’t resolve the issue, so the standard shifts. Sound amplification equipment can’t produce noise that’s plainly audible from inside another unit in the same building, or from the boundary of the nearest residential property.² Shared-wall complaints are the most common use of this provision.

A 2023 amendment added a specific rule aimed at bars and venues: interior speakers placed within ten feet of an open exterior door or window can’t be aimed toward that opening.³ It targets the practice of technically keeping music indoors while angling speakers to project through open doors onto the sidewalk.

The 50-Foot Rule for Public Spaces

If you’re using amplified sound for personal purposes on a public sidewalk, street, or park managed by the Board of Parks and Recreation, the sound can’t be plainly audible at fifty feet or more from the speaker.² This is the rule people most often cite when discussing Nashville’s noise law, but it only applies to public rights-of-way and parks. On private residential property, the property-line test governs instead.

Commercial Noise Hours and Decibel Limits

Businesses and commercial operations near residential neighborhoods are measured in decibels rather than the plainly audible test. Between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., commercial activity can’t exceed 70 dB(A) measured near the outside wall of any residential building in a residential zone, at four feet above the ground.⁴ For reference, 70 dB(A) is roughly the volume of a vacuum cleaner heard from a few feet away.

Businesses in the CC (Commercial Core) and CF (Commercial Fringe) zoning districts get a higher ceiling of 85 dB(A) during the same overnight hours, measured the same way.⁴ These districts cover downtown and the surrounding entertainment corridors. 85 dB(A) is still substantial, roughly the volume of heavy city traffic.

During daytime hours, from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., commercial operations aren’t subject to the overnight decibel caps. The general plainly audible rules for amplified sound still apply at any hour.

Motor Vehicle Exhaust

Vehicle exhaust has its own standard. You can’t operate a motor vehicle if the exhaust is plainly audible at two hundred feet, with “plainly audible” meaning the muffler or exhaust can be detected by unaided hearing at that distance.² Two hundred feet is close to a full city block. Aftermarket exhaust on motorcycles and cars is the typical target.

Emergency and public safety vehicles, government-owned vehicles, and utility company vehicles producing unavoidable noise during job-related operation are exempt. Motor vehicles used in any authorized, permitted public activity are also exempt.⁵

Construction Noise and the 5 a.m. Delivery Exemption

Chapter 9.30 of the Metro Code governs construction noise. Equipment covered includes pile drivers, jackhammers, bulldozers, concrete trucks, backhoes, compressors, and similar machinery used in building, repairing, or demolishing structures.¹

Several categories of construction activity are exempt from Chapter 9.30:

Public infrastructure projects. Road, highway, bridge, street, utility, and dredging work, including vehicles transporting materials to and from these sites, as long as vehicles stay within the construction right-of-way or easement.
Emergency work. Any work needed to restore property to safe conditions after a disaster, restore public utilities, or protect people and property from imminent danger.
Early material delivery. Transporting and unloading construction materials, other than blasting supplies, between 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.¹

The early-delivery carve-out is worth knowing. Dump trucks and material drop-offs starting at 5:00 a.m. near your home may be legal under this exemption. Actual operation of heavy construction equipment at that hour is not.

Who Is Exempt From the Ordinance

Several categories of activity sit outside Title 9’s restrictions, so it’s worth knowing before filing a complaint:

Airport operations are entirely exempt under Section 9.10.030.¹
Special events, mass gatherings, and other activities authorized by Metro government or its boards and commissions are exempt from the amplified sound restrictions.
Schools and universities conducting typical on-campus activities, including athletic events, performances, and student festivals, are exempt between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.
Outdoor facilities owned by Metro Nashville or the State of Tennessee, and parks under the Board of Parks and Recreation, are exempt.
Facilities used for religious worship are specifically exempt from the amplified sound provisions that apply to other uses in the same areas.¹

Short-Term Rentals and Downtown Enforcement

The 2023 amendments targeted two chronic problem areas: the downtown entertainment district and short-term rental properties. The Metro Council extended noise enforcement authority to the Department of Codes and Building Safety, letting that agency act on noise from short-term rentals and commercial properties in addition to the police. The Nashville Department of Transportation picked up enforcement authority over right-of-way noise violations in the same ordinance.³

If you live near a short-term rental, this changes what a complaint can do. Before 2023, STR noise was handled almost entirely by police responding to individual calls. Codes and Building Safety involvement opens a path toward permit-level consequences, so repeated issues at the same STR can become a compliance problem for the operating permit instead of a one-off citation.

How to File a Noise Complaint

The primary channel for reporting noise violations is hubNashville, the county’s 311 platform. You can file online through hubNashville’s “Noise Violations” request category.⁶ You can also call 311 directly, or reach hubNashville at (615) 862-5000 Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For noise from a short-term rental, a separate line is available at (615) 862-7368 (862-RENT), Monday through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

When you file, include the exact address of the noise source, when it started, how long it has lasted, and what kind of sound it is: music, machinery, exhaust, and so on. Audio or video from your phone helps, especially for intermittent noise that may stop before an officer arrives. Noting that a property is a short-term rental helps route the complaint to the right agency.

For noise happening in real time that needs a quick response, the Metro Nashville Police Department’s non-emergency line is faster. Reports filed through hubNashville create a tracking number and a formal record, useful for documenting a pattern, but they may not produce a same-night visit. For a recurring problem at the same property, file every time it happens. That paper trail is what agencies need to escalate past individual warnings.

1
Belmont University. Metro Code Title 9 – Noise and Amplified Sound
2
Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. Ordinance No BL2008-259
3
Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County, TN. BL2023-2106
4
Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. Ordinance No BL2008-306
5
Metro Government of Nashville and Davidson County, TN. Metro Government of Nashville and Davidson County Code of Ordinances – 12.32.010 – Horns and Warning Devices
6
hubNashville. Noise Violations