Disturbing the peace is a minor crime. Normally, a person will receive a citation for disturbing the peace after they have done something to make noise in a public place. The noise could be the sound of your dog barking, running a lawnmower or a power saw very early on a Saturday morning, or playing loud music during a party. Disturbing the peace can be anything that is an unnecessary or unreasonable noise, especially if it is in a residential neighborhood. The loudness of the noise, no matter what it source, is the key to this crime. If the noise annoys or offends someone, such as a person with a loud voice using profane language, then it is considered to be disturbing the peace. “Proper order” is a term used to describe what a public place is usually like with regards to sound. If someone does anything to disturb this proper order, then they just may be facing a citation for disturbing the peace.