With the ongoing increase in outdoor activity and windows opening to welcome the warm spring and summer air, Dubuque Police would like to remind everyone of the City’s noise prevention ordinances.
With the ongoing increase in outdoor activity and windows opening to welcome the warm spring and summer air, Dubuque Police would like to remind everyone of the City’s noise prevention ordinances. These ordinances cover virtually all sources of noise including, but not limited to music, persons, animals, and ALL types of motor vehicles. Enforcement of these ordinances will remain a high priority this season, and is primarily the result of numerous citizen complaints concerning noise and its negative effects on the quality of life.
The City Code can be accessed on the City website: www.cityofdubuque.org under the “Government” tab. Or the following links may also be used to directly access specific noise ordinances:
www.sterlingcodifiers.com/Dubuque,IA:9-12-321.436 (motor vehicle muffler)
www.sterlingcodifiers.com/Dubuque,IA:6-5-1 (general prohibited noises)
www.sterlingcodifiers.com/Dubuque,IA:6-5-3 (exempt noises)
www.sterlingcodifiers.com/Dubuque,IA:7-5A-1 (Disorderly Conduct)
By ordinance, every motor vehicle (cars, motorcycles, and trucks) shall be equipped with a muffler in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive noise. Generally, this means the muffler system the vehicle was equipped with upon leaving the factory on the date of manufacture. In determining whether noise is excessive, officers apply a “reasonable person” standard and usually exercise discretion in favor of the possible violator, meaning it’s the blatant noise violations that usually earn enforcement action.