How do noise rules work in Florida?

That law is section 316.3045 of the Florida Statutes. It covers radios, phones, stereos, musical instruments and similar devices played or amplified by anyone in a motor vehicle on a street or highway. Near homes, churches, schools and hospitals, the sound also may not be louder than needed for the people in the vehicle to hear it. State rules set out what "plainly audible" means and how it is measured. Police and emergency vehicles using their communication equipment are exempt, and so are horns and other warning devices that state law allows. A violation is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punished as a nonmoving violation. The same law lets cities and counties set stricter rules for sound from vehicles.

Orange County's noise ordinance, changed in August 2025, shows how a local rule works. It applies in the unincorporated county, and noise inside a city's limits is handled by that city. At a home, sound that is plainly audible 100 feet or more from the property line is a violation from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and 50 feet or more from 10:01 p.m. to 6:59 a.m. The Orange County Sheriff's Office takes complaints about homes, bars and clubs at 407-836-4357. The county's Environmental Protection Division takes complaints about other businesses at 407-836-1468.

Where you live, your city or county government can tell you which noise rules apply.

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