New Year: is it possible to be fined for nocturnal noise?

New Year’s Eve is, for some, the occasion of the year to organize large-scale parties… At home. If you are a big fan of dance parties, music certainly goes hand in hand with your reception. Even if you take care to warn all your neighbors or to invite them, sometimes some somewhat embittered people contact the police to report a disturbance at night, even on New Year’s Eve!

One would think that the law provides special conditions for such a day, when a large majority of people celebrate. Well no ! Indeed, no breach of the rules governing nocturnal noise and its sanction is officially provided for. As a reminder, nocturnal noise corresponds to recurring and disturbing noises, emitted by people themselves, devices belonging to them or even animals placed under their responsibility, as reported by Le Figaro.

The time slot corresponding to the night noise is not officially defined at the national level. However, some large cities such as Lille and Paris have established the time range between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. as a synonym for nighttime noise. In Lyon, it is extended from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. No matter the exact start and end times, the chances are very high that your New Year’s Eve party will correspond to it at some point in the evening.

Even if your neighbors denounce you to the gendarmes and they turn up, on New Year’s Eve they will be able to show tolerance: the police will verbalize with discernment. However, if you really exaggerate the volume level, or the police are in a bad mood, you risk a fine. The amount of the penalty will be 68 euros if the fine is paid on the spot or within 45 days and can go up to 180 euros beyond this period.