Noise Ordinance in Anchorage, Alaska
Noise in Anchorage is regulated by Anchorage Municipal Code Title 15 (Environmental Protection), Chapter 15.70 — Noise Control ("Anchorage Noise Control Ordinance"). Quiet hours are varies by activity; night rules typically 10:00 PM – 7:00 AM. This page summarizes what the ordinance actually says, section by section, with links to the official code text.
What the Anchorage Noise Ordinance Says
Anchorage regulates noise under Chapter 15.70 of its municipal code, the "Anchorage Noise Control Ordinance," administered by the Anchorage Health Department. The core rule is a property-line decibel table: what your neighbor may receive depends on both zones. A home next to another home is limited to 60 dB(A) in the daytime (7 AM–10 PM) and 50 dB(A) at night (10 PM–7 AM); commercial emitters may send slightly more (65 day / 55 night into residential), and industrial-to-industrial is capped at 80 dB(A) around the clock. Beyond the tables, it is a violation to "unreasonably make... any noise disturbance," and specific nighttime bans (10 PM–7 AM) cover power tools, loading and unloading, refuse-truck compacting, and bass vibration felt inside a neighbor's home. For amplified music, an officer can measure inside the complainant's residence: more than 3 dB(C) above ambient is a violation weeknights after 10 PM (11 PM Fri/Sat/holidays), 5 dB(C) otherwise.
Construction gets its own regime: banned 10 PM–6 AM during the April–October "construction season" (10 PM–7 AM the rest of the year) and entirely on Sundays and state holidays, with an 80 dB(A) hourly Leq cap at residential boundaries during allowed hours, unless the builder holds a noise permit. Permits (for construction, firearms/shooting ranges, public events, off-road snow removal, and vehicle racing) require application 20+ days in advance to the Health Department and last at most one year initially. Vehicles are covered too: cars and motorcycles are capped at 76 dB(A) at 50 feet in zones of 35 mph or less (80 above 35 mph), snowmobiles at 76 dB(A), motorboats at 80 dB(A), and a car stereo clearly audible 25 feet away is an automatic violation ticketed by police.
Enforcement mixes civil remedies: the department can order abatement, recover costs and damages, fine at least $100 per day (or the amount in AMC 14.60.030), and seek a civil penalty up to $1,000 per violation, with fines doubled for a repeat offense of the same type within a year. Emergency work and alerts, the unamplified human voice, aircraft operating under federal rules, licensed hunting, and road vehicles/snowplows/garbage trucks on public rights-of-way are exempt from the property-line tables.
"This chapter may be known and cited as the Anchorage Noise Control Ordinance." — AMC 15.70.010
Quiet Hours in Detail
No blanket "quiet hours" label, but nighttime limits run 10:00 PM – 7:00 AM daily (AMC 15.70.080 Table 1). Activity-specific bans in that window: power tools, loading/unloading, refuse compacting, bass/vibration (15.70.060B.4, B.7, B.19; 15.70.090D). Construction: prohibited 10:00 PM – 6:00 AM Apr 1–Oct 31, 10:00 PM – 7:00 AM Nov 1–Mar 31, and all day Sundays/state holidays (15.70.060B.3.a). Indoor amplified-sound ambient limits tighten weeknights 10 PM–7 AM and Fri/Sat/holidays 11 PM–7 AM (15.70.080C)
Decibel Limits
AMC 15.70.080 Table 1 (Lmax at receiving property line, varies by EMITTING property): Residential receiving — day (7am–10pm) 60 dB(A) from residential, 65 from commercial, 70 from industrial; night (10pm–7am) 50/55/65. Commercial receiving — day 70/70/75; night 60/60/70. Industrial receiving — 80 at all times. Amplified sound measured inside a complainant's residence (15.70.080C): max 3 dB(C) above ambient weeknights 10pm–7am and Fri/Sat/holidays 11pm–7am; 5 dB(C) above ambient all other times. Construction: Leq 80 dB(A) at residential/commercial/industrial boundaries during daytime (15.70.060B.3.b–c). Motor vehicles on rights-of-way (Table 2, at 50 ft): vehicles ≥10,000 lbs GVWR 86 dB(A) in ≤35 mph zones / 90 over 35 mph (88 stationary run-up, interstate commerce only); motorcycles and other vehicles 76/80. Recreational vehicles incl. snowmobiles (Table 3): 76 dB(A) at 50 ft. Motorboats: 80 dB(A) at 50 ft or nearest shoreline (15.70.060B.9). Car stereos: "clearly audible" at 25+ ft prohibited (15.70.095A). Entertainment venues over 90 dB(A) must post a hearing-damage warning sign (15.70.060B.12). Hazardous levels (Tables 4/5, immediate halt order): 90 dB(A)/24 hr up to 108 dB(A)/22 min; impulsive 145 dB(A)/1 impulse per 24 hr (135/10, 125/100)
Enforcement and Penalties
Administered by the Anchorage Health Department (15.70.040; "department" defined as the Municipal Department of Health and Human Services); police officers cite vehicle sound-system violations (15.70.095D, civil penalties via administrative hearings officer per ch. 14.20). Under 15.70.110 the department may enjoin/abate violations, recover abatement costs and damages, recover a fine per AMC 14.60.030 or, if none listed, not less than $100 per day in violation; civil penalty up to $1,000 per violation; up to double fines/penalties/costs for a repeat same-category offense within one year of an enforcement order (15.70.110A.5). Director may order an immediate halt to hazardous noise levels, followed by a Superior Court injunction (15.70.100A)
Exemptions
Emergency alerting and emergency work fully exempt (15.70.020B). Property-line limits (Table 1) do not apply to: unamplified human voice; aircraft/airport operations under federal law; construction during construction season 6am–10pm; domestic power tools; emergency signaling devices; explosives/firearms; motorboats; grandfathered public service utilities (in operation on or before Jan 1, 1979, capped at Leq 65 dB(A)); stationary nonemergency signaling devices; motor vehicles, refuse trucks, and snow-removal vehicles on public rights-of-way (15.70.080B). Licensed game hunting and authorized military training on federal property need no firearms-noise permit (15.70.060B.6). Noise permits available for construction, explosives/firearms/shooting ranges, public events, snow removal/street sweeping off rights-of-way, and motor-vehicle racing — apply to the Health Department 20+ days ahead; max initial duration 1 year; 10% late fee under 20 days (15.70.070A, B.1, F, G)
Key Sections of the Code
| Section | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| AMC 15.70.010 | Short title of chapter — Anchorage Noise Control Ordinance |
| AMC 15.70.020 | General provisions; policy; emergency-work exception; owner presumption for vehicle violations |
| AMC 15.70.030 | Definitions (noise disturbance, construction season Apr 1–Oct 31, noise-sensitive zone, dB(A), Leq) |
| AMC 15.70.040 | Powers and duties of Anchorage Health Department |
| AMC 15.70.050 | Governmental compliance |
| AMC 15.70.060 | Prohibited acts and conditions: 19 categories — animals, construction hours, power tools, alarms, firearms, loading, loudspeakers, motorboats, vehicle repair, entertainment venues, street sales, vibration/bass, etc. |
| AMC 15.70.070 | Noise permits: eligible activities, 20-day application, balancing test, 1-year max initial duration, 10% late fee |
| AMC 15.70.075 | Measuring sound levels (ANSI S1.4 Type I/II meters, A-weighted, fast/slow response) |
| AMC 15.70.080 | Property line noise emission standards — Table 1 dB(A) by emitting/receiving land use and time; indoor dB(C)-above-ambient limits for amplified sound/bass |
| AMC 15.70.090 | Motor vehicle noise emission standards — Table 2 road limits, muffler requirement, horns, refuse trucks, snow removal, Table 3 recreational vehicles/snowmobiles |
| AMC 15.70.095 | Electronically amplified sound systems in motor vehicles — clearly audible at 25+ ft prohibited; police-issued citations, civil penalties via ch. 14.20 |
| AMC 15.70.100 | Hazardous noise emission standards — Tables 4/5, immediate halt orders and injunctions |
| AMC 15.70.110 | Penalties and remedies other than for motor vehicles: abatement, ≥$100/day fines, up to $1,000 civil penalty, doubling for repeat offenses |
Official Source
This summary is based on the official municipal code text. Always confirm current rules with the city before relying on them — ordinances are amended regularly.
- Anchorage Municipal Code Title 15 (Environmental Protection), Chapter 15.70 — Noise Control ("Anchorage Noise Control Ordinance") — official code text (eCode360)
- Alaska statewide noise ordinance guide
Last verified against the official code: 2026-07-08.
This page is an informational summary, not legal advice. For disputes or citations, consult the full code text or a local attorney.