A new Noise Ordinance for Indianapolis was signed into law in Feb of 2006.


What do boom cars, fireworks, children playing and cell phone conversations all have in common? According to the Revised Noise Ordinance for the City of Indianapolis (Article III, Section 391-301-303), given the time of day and environment, they are all examples of unreasonable noise. Fines for unreasonable noise are $50 for the first offense, $250 for the second, and $500 for the third (within a 12-month period). Additionally, the ticket can be issued to the property owner.

But, before you start thinking that the City of Indianapolis has gone too far in regulating “children playing” or controlling the use of your cell-phone (or free speech for that matter), consider what the new ordinance says. Rather than using a device that measures decibels to determine what is noise, the city has now defined Unreasonable Noise as:

“Sound that is of a volume, frequency, or pattern that prohibits, disrupts, injures, or endangers the health, safety, welfare, prosperity, comfort, or repose of reasonable persons of ordinary sensitivities within the city, given the time of day and environment in which the sound is made.”

And, there are no intentions of limiting First Amendment Free Speech rights because the ordinance states:

“That the sole intent of the provisions of this chapter is declared to be, as a matter of legislative determination for this declaration of public policy, to secure and promote the health, safety, welfare, prosperity, comfort, and repose of persons in this city by reducing unreasonable noise, and a determination of violation of this chapter may not be based on the content of any message conveyed during the creation of any noise or the identity of any person responsible for or associated with the creation of any noise.”


Unreasonable noise can occur 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Unreasonable noise can be from sources such as car horns, loud stereos or radios, people yelling or screaming, and vendor’s vehicles (ice cream trucks). Below is a digest you can print out to place on your refrigerator.

If you experience unreasonable noise, ask the offender(s) to either turn the noise down or stop the noise. If they do not comply, call the police non-emergency number at 327-3811. According to Sheriff Frank Anderson “the law is the law.” Therefore, if a responding officer tells you that it is not worth their time to ticket a $50 offense, you may ask him if he would give the same response if Sheriff Anderson were calling. You may also ask the officer how he knows that the offender doesn’t already have the $50 ticket. The price of the first ticket may be only $50, but for neighborhoods and communities---well, you’ve HEARD it before, the ticket is priceless.

Below are copies of the Indianapolis Noise Ordinance and a handy digest:

Prop_50_approved_2-13-06.doc

Noise_Digest.pdf