Suffolk County Quiet Hours Rules (2026) — What You Need to Know

Suffolk County's noise ordinance is codified under Chapter 618, adopted on December 7, 1999 through Local Law No. 41-1999. The law was enacted after the Legislature found that excessive noise can endanger general health and cause hearing loss, and that many people create excessive noise through radios, amplifiers, boom boxes, and similar devices.

The ordinance has two main enforcement mechanisms. Section 618-3 prohibits causing any noise disturbance on county highways, county rights-of-way, county-owned real estate, and county buses. No decibel measurement is needed for these violations — the disturbance itself is sufficient. Section 618-4 establishes specific sound level limits in Table I, measured in A-weighted decibels (dBA) at or within the real property line of the county-owned property.

Domestic power tools, lawn mowers, and agricultural equipment are exempt when operated with a muffler beginning at 8:00 AM. Snowblowers and snow removal equipment are also exempt. Burglar alarms are allowed to sound for up to 15 minutes per activation and no more than 15 minutes in any one-hour period. Emergency signals, municipal events, and public-speaking activities are also exempt. Individual towns within Suffolk County often maintain their own residential noise ordinances with stricter or more detailed provisions, so residents should also check their local town code.