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Noise rules in Mumbai: the limits, who enforces them, and how to complain
Mumbai follows India's national noise rules: 55 dB(A) by day and 45 at night in homes, night being 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. In 2026 the Mumbai Suburban Collector set 13 days when loudspeakers may play until midnight, though not in silence zones. Noise complaints go to the police on 100, anonymously if you wish, under a 2016 Bombay High Court ruling.
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The limits
The decibel limits are national, set in the Schedule to the Rules; Maharashtra's job is to classify each locality into one of the four zones and to enforce them. The full text, the night restrictions and the complaint rules are on the India noise rules page.
| Area code | Category of area/zone | Day time | Night time |
|---|---|---|---|
| (A) | Industrial area | 75 | 70 |
| (B) | Commercial area | 65 | 55 |
| (C) | Residential area | 55 | 45 |
| (D) | Silence Zone | 50 | 40 |
Who enforces the rules in Mumbai
Maharashtra Environment Department Government Resolution (GR) No. ध्वनीप्र-२००९/प्र.क्र.९५/तांक-१ of 21 April 2009 (hosted by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board) appoints officers of several departments as the authority for enforcing the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 (Annexure 1). The GR applies statewide, including Mumbai. Among the officers it names are the District Magistrate and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Revenue); the Police Commissioner or any officer not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (Home), who is responsible for further legal action on violations; the Municipal Commissioner and Additional/Deputy Commissioners not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (Urban Development), responsible for demarcating silence zones; and MPCB's Member Secretary and officers not below that rank (monitoring on request, and enforcement in industrial areas). The annexure also names education, hospital, MMRDA/MSRDC/CIDCO and transport officers, including traffic police. The GR cancels the earlier GRs of 16 August 2000 and 15 June 2001, which had appointed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in police-commissionerate cities as a one-member authority. MPCB's FAQ sends non-industrial noise complaints to the Police department and industrial noise to MPCB.
"Police Commissioner or any other officer not below the rank of the Deputy Superintendent of Police designated for the maintenance of Ambient Air Quality Standards, as mentioned in the Rule 2(c) of Noise Pollution( Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000. [...] The Police Authorities will be responsible for initiating further legal actions in respect of the violations.."
Source: mpcb.gov.in
How to complain about noise in Mumbai
- Dial 100 (Mumbai Police control room). Mumbai Police publishes 100 as its emergency and control-room number; its site header lists 'Police Control Room 100 , 112'. In Dr. Mahesh Vijay Bedekar v. State of Maharashtra (PIL 173 of 2010, judgment of 16 August 2016), the Bombay High Court directed that oral complaints about breaches of the Noise Pollution Rules can be made on 100, that anonymous complaints must be entertained, and that a complainant's identity must not be disclosed. Police must then visit the spot and stop illegal loudspeaker use. (mumbaipolice.gov.in)
- Telephone 100: Bombay High Court direction on noise complaints. Direction (vii) of the 16 August 2016 judgment, from the copy hosted on the MPCB website. (mpcb.gov.in)
- Mumbai Police Online Complaint. An online form for non-cognizable ('minor') complaints, routed to the selected police station. The page has no noise-specific category; complainants describe the matter in free text. (mumbaipolice.gov.in)
- Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (industrial noise only). MPCB's FAQ splits noise complaints: industrial noise goes to MPCB, non-industrial noise to the Police department. (mpcb.gov.in)
Under Rule 7 a complaint can be made when noise exceeds the zone limit by 10 dB(A) or more, or when a night-time restriction is broken. A reading from the free online decibel meter, taken with A-weighting over a full minute and noted with the time, helps describe the problem. It is an uncalibrated estimate of about ±10 dB, not evidence on its own; the authority measures with a calibrated instrument.
Local orders in Mumbai
2026 days when loudspeakers may run until midnight (Mumbai Suburban District)
Under Rule 5(3), the Mumbai Suburban Collector fixed 13 of the 15 permitted days in 2026 on which loudspeakers and amplifiers may be used from 6 a.m. to 12 midnight. The days are Shiv Jayanti (19 Feb); Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti (14 Apr); Maharashtra Day (1 May); and Eid-e-Milad, which is 25 or 26 Aug or whichever day the moon is sighted, that day only. Ganeshotsav has four days (15, 18, 19 and 25 Sep), Navratri Ashtami-Navami two (18 and 19 Oct), and Diwali Lakshmi Pujan one (8 Nov), followed by Christmas (25 Dec) and 31 December. Permission for the remaining 2 days is to be given for important events as needed, after consulting the police. The exemption does not apply in silence zones declared by the government, and noise limits still apply. A Maharashtra GR of 22.08.2017 handed the choice of the 15 days from the State to District Collectors. The order covers the Mumbai Suburban District; a separate Mumbai City District order was not found.
Bombay High Court: written permission for loudspeakers, toll-free and WhatsApp complaints, all religions
The 2016 Bedekar judgment directs that loudspeakers and public address systems need written permission from the authority under the Noise Pollution Rules. It orders a toll-free complaint number in every town or city with a Municipal Corporation or Council, plus complaint by e-mail, SMS and WhatsApp, with a complaint register and complaint numbers. Police visiting a complaint must record the noise level with a meter in a panchanama. The judgment applies to festivals and places of worship of all religions. Mumbai Police's loudspeaker permission terms make compliance with this PIL compulsory.
"Therefore, toll free number shall be provided by the State Government in every town or city having Municipal Corporation or Municipal Council to enable the authorities to receive complaints about the breaches of Rules in addition to usual and conventional modes. A facility shall be also made available to submit complaint by email, by SMS and by Whatsapp message."
Source: Bombay High Court, Dr. Mahesh Vijay Bedekar v. State of Maharashtra, PIL No. 173 of 2010 (A.S. Oka and A.A. Sayed, JJ.), copy hosted by MPCB, 2016-08-16.
Mumbai Police loudspeaker permission terms
Mumbai Police's online loudspeaker permission form offers a morning slot (6 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and an evening slot (5 p.m. to 10 p.m.). Its terms require a box-type loudspeaker of at most 15 x 10 inches and 3.5 watts, restrict use at night, and bar moving the loudspeaker without police permission. Fees are Rs 10 for a new licence application, Rs 200 for 1 to 7 days, and Rs 20 per day for renewal over 7 and under 30 days. The terms say a breach of the licence conditions exposes the loudspeaker contractor to action under section 131 of the Mumbai Police Act, 1951; they also cite section 15 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, stating its penalty as up to five years' imprisonment and Rs 1,00,000, and warn that the organiser faces action if the High Court's PIL 173/2010 directions are not followed.
"1. The Loudspeaker should be box type and it's size should be maximum 15 inches X 10 inches. 2. Maximum capacity of the loudspeaker should be3.5 watts. ... 4. Restrictions on use of loudspeaker –in the Night time."
Source: Mumbai Police: Loudspeaker Permission, 2026-10-01.
Who enforces what: Maharashtra's 2009 GR on noise authorities and silence zones
The GR directs local self-government bodies to declare silence zones in urban areas at once, covering 100 metres around educational institutions, courts and hospitals, and to put up silence zone boards. It assigns noise enforcement roles to officers under the Revenue, Home (police), Urban Development (municipal bodies, and MMRDA/MSRDC/CIDCO), Higher and School Education, Public Health, Environment (MPCB) and Home (Transport) departments. Urban local bodies must demarcate silence zones and include a noise action plan, with noise monitoring and mapping, in their annual Environmental Status Report.
"The urban local bodies shall be responsible for demarcation of the silent zones as per the Noise Rules, 2000 and displaying the same adequately."
Silence zones
Maharashtra's 2009 GR directs local bodies to declare silence zones in urban areas: 100 metres around educational institutions, all courts and hospitals. The Mumbai Suburban Collector's 2026 order says the midnight loudspeaker exemption does not apply in silence zones declared by the government. No official count or list of Mumbai's currently declared silence zones was found on MCGM, MPCB or police sites.
Source: mpcb.gov.in
How loud Mumbai measures
MPCB's annual noise study, 'Report on Ambient Noise Monitoring in Metropolitan Cities – 2024', covered 15 Mumbai locations, monitored for 24 hours on 22 Dec 2024 (Sunday) and 23 Dec 2024 (Monday) with calibrated Type-II sound level meters. The locations were Backside of High Court, Mumbadevi Temple, Borivali National Park, Antop Hill, Shivaji Park (Dadar), Santacruz Airport, Ghatkopar (W), Vashi Naka (Chembur), Goregaon (E), Charkop (Kandivali), Sion Circle, Dadar Hindu Colony, Matunga (Gandhi Market), Kamathipura and Malabar Hills. The report's own Mumbai summary: highest daytime average 82.4 dB(A) (22 Dec) and 84.4 dB(A) (23 Dec) at Sion, and highest night level 84.7 dB(A) at Matunga and Sion (in its tables, Sion on 22 Dec and Matunga on 23 Dec). Its tables show a 23 Dec daytime Leq of 87.0 dB(A) at Santacruz Airport, which the report's conclusion calls the noisiest location. Some rows in the report's tables repeat one another, so its summary is the safer figure to cite.
Source: mpcb.gov.in
What is the noise limit in Mumbai at night?
In a residential area, 45 dB(A) Leq from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., and 55 dB(A) by day, under the national Schedule that applies in Maharashtra. Silence zones are held to 40 at night and 50 by day, commercial areas to 55 and 65, and industrial areas to 70 and 75.
How do I complain about noise in Mumbai?
Call 100, the Mumbai Police control room. In 2016 the Bombay High Court directed that oral complaints about breaches of the noise rules can be made on 100, that anonymous complaints must be entertained and that a complainant's identity must not be disclosed. The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board handles industrial noise and sends other noise complaints to the police.
On which days can loudspeakers play until midnight in Mumbai in 2026?
In the Mumbai Suburban District, the Collector's order of 18 February 2026 fixed 13 of the 15 permitted days: 19 February, 14 April, 1 May, Eid-e-Milad (25 or 26 August, the day the moon is sighted), 15, 18, 19 and 25 September, 18 and 19 October, 8 November, 25 December and 31 December, from 6 a.m. to midnight. The remaining two days are for important events, after consulting the police. The exemption does not apply in silence zones, and the noise limits still apply. We did not find the matching order for the Mumbai City District.
More
- India's national noise rules, quoted from the CPCB text
- Noise rules in Delhi
- Noise rules in Bengaluru
- Noise rules in Kolkata
- Noise rules in Chennai
- Noise rules in Hyderabad
- Noise rules in Pune
- How loud Mumbai is on the world sound map
- The noise complaints guide: what to log before you call
Read from official sources on 2026-10-01: the documents linked beside each statement, and the national Rules as published by the Central Pollution Control Board at cpcb.gov.in. A plain-language summary, not legal advice; the Rules, state notifications and court orders control.