How Loud Can Your Neighbors Be in Grand Rapids Before Breaking the Law?

I'll be the first to admit that I love to play my music loud and have a good time.

Get our free mobile app

I also get up at the butt crack of dawn and find it hard to fall asleep when my neighbor is still playing his music so loud that I can hear it through my closed window with a fan running.

I'm not looking for trouble but after repeated talks about keeping it down so I could sleep and being ignored I decided to look into what I could about the loud noise.

Does Grand Rapids Have Noise Ordinance?

I was happen to find out that the City of Grand Rapids actually updated its noise ordinance in 2019 to address concerns about excessive noise in the city.

The ordinance uses a "reasonableness" standard rather than specific decibel levels to determine if noise is too loud.

That means noise is considered a violation if it would unreasonably disturb a person of normal sensitivities.

Amplified sound on public property shouldn't be louder than a normal conversation from 100 feet away.

Between 10 PM and 7 AM, music, TV, or other amplified sounds shouldn't be audible across property lines in residential areas.

Gatherings that create frequent or continuous noise audible 25 feet or more from the property line are prohibited between 10 PM and 7 AM.

For businesses, sound shouldn't be clearly audible 100 feet or more from the property line during nighttime hours (10 PM to 7 AM on weekdays, 1 AM to 7 AM on weekends).

Vehicle sound systems shouldn't be audible 50 feet away during the day or 25 feet away at night.

How Much Is A Fine?

First offenses are typically treated as civil infractions with fines, rather than criminal misdemeanors.

Fines start at $100 for individuals and $200 for businesses, increasing for repeat offenses.

Best Way To Handle A Noisy Neighbor

If you're dealing with noisy neighbors, it's best to first try talking to them directly.

If that doesn't work like in my case you can get your "Karen" / "Ken" on and file a complaint with the city.