Noise Ordinance Guide
Tallahassee Pickleball Noise Ordinance
What the Code Says
What Tallahassee's Excessive Sound Code Means for Your Community's Pickleball Courts
If your Tallahassee HOA, condo association, or club is planning or resurfacing a pickleball court, the rulebook is Division 2 (Excessive Sound) of Chapter 12 in the City of Tallahassee Code of Ordinances. Tallahassee took a different route than most Florida cities: there is no residential decibel table. Outside the Urban Core, sound that is unreasonably loud, raucous or jarring and plainly audible to an officer at 100 feet is a violation at any hour of the day. Every claim on this page is cited. Last verified September 5, 2026.
at a glance
Tallahassee Noise Rules at a Glance
Source: City of Tallahassee Code of Ordinances, Chapter 12, Article IV, Division 2 (Excessive Sound), Sec. 12-92 through Sec. 12-95. Last verified September 5, 2026. This page is part of our Florida pickleball noise ordinance guide, which is still in progress and covers selected cities only.
100 Feet, Any Hour, Outside the Urban Core
It is unlawful to make any sound that constitutes a noise disturbance outside the Urban Core at any time, and a noise disturbance is sound unreasonably loud, raucous or jarring to a reasonable person when plainly audible to an officer at 100 feet or greater. Source: Sec. 12-94
Inside the Urban Core: 2:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.
Within the Urban Core the same 100 foot standard applies, but only between 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Nearly every residential community in Tallahassee sits outside that boundary and is therefore covered around the clock. Source: Sec. 12-94
The Officer's Ear Is the Instrument
Plainly audible means sound detected by a police officer or code enforcement officer using unaided hearing, measured as provided in Sec. 12-94. There is no meter reading to argue about. Source: Sec. 12-93
Plainly Audible Standard
Yes, 100 feet or greater, detected by a police or code enforcement officer using unaided hearing
the code
How the Tallahassee Code Applies to Pickleball
01
No Decibel Table Cuts Both Ways
What it can do is show distance, mitigation and a written hours policy, which is the evidence that answers a reasonableness standard. Source: Sec. 12-94
02
Character of the Sound Matters
The definition turns on sound that is unreasonably loud, raucous or jarring to a reasonable person of normal sensitivities. Pickleball's problem has never been average volume, it is the sharp repetitive character of the pop, which is precisely the word the code uses. Source: Sec. 12-93
03
Amplified Sound Has Its Own Rule
Within the Urban Core, alcohol-serving establishments in Central Core zoning cannot produce outdoor amplified sound plainly audible 200 feet away from 11:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, or midnight Friday and Saturday, until 7:00 a.m. Tournament PA systems and court speakers should be planned with that in mind. Source: Sec. 12-94
04
Enforcement Is Complaint Driven
Because the test is what an officer hears at 100 feet, a single persistent neighbor can generate a case. Source: Sec. 12-94
05
No Pickleball Language, No Court Hours
Chapter 12 never names pickleball, tennis or athletic courts and sets no play hours. In a city with no decibel table, the association's own hours rule and the court's siting are the whole defense. Source: Chapter 12, Article IV, Division 2
Planning a court in Tallahassee?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tallahassee have a pickleball noise ordinance?
Not by name. Tallahassee regulates court noise through Division 2 (Excessive Sound) of Chapter 12, Article IV in the Code of Ordinances, which uses a noise disturbance standard and a 100 foot plainly audible test instead of a decibel table. Pickleball, tennis and athletic courts are not mentioned.
What are the quiet hours for pickleball courts in Tallahassee?
There are none in the traditional sense. Outside the Urban Core the noise disturbance prohibition applies at any time of day, per Sec. 12-94. Inside the Urban Core the same standard applies between 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Who do I contact about a pickleball noise complaint in Tallahassee?
Tallahassee police and city code enforcement officers enforce Division 2, since the standard depends on what an officer hears on scene, per Sec. 12-94. Communities in unincorporated Leon County fall under the county code and the Sheriff's Office instead.
