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Noise complaints › Akron
How to file a noise complaint in Akron
Call Akron Police on a non-emergency line, 330-375-2181 or 330-375-2101, and keep 911 for emergencies. The City's Safety Communications page gives those two numbers for incidents that do not need immediate attention, such as vehicle complaints, neighborhood issues or civil matters, and says a call taker answers them…
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Documenting this? A dated log of when the noise started, when it stopped and how loud it got is what Akron acts on. Log noise levels for a complaint — free, runs in your browser, records no audio.
| Quiet hours | 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. (amplified sound in residential areas); barking dogs 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. |
|---|---|
| How it is enforced | Audibility, no general decibel limit |
| Emergencies | 911 |
| Ordinance | Akron Municipal Code (Code of Ordinances) |
Where to file in Akron
Call Akron Police on a non-emergency line, 330-375-2181 or 330-375-2101, and keep 911 for emergencies. The City's Safety Communications page gives those two numbers for incidents that do not need immediate attention, such as vehicle complaints, neighborhood issues or civil matters, and says a call taker answers them 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; the page does not name noise, and no City page read says in words where to report loud music. The police online report portal names theft, property damage, identity theft, lost property and phone harassment as examples of what it takes, not noise. Barking dogs go a different way: the City's dog brochure (revised 07/15, still linked from the Nuisance Compliance Division page) says to call 3-1-1 from a home phone or 330-375-2311 from any phone, that the Animal Warden collects the details and the dog owner is notified (it cites Sec. 92.14, the barking section), and that continued or repetitive violations may be referred to the Clerk of Courts for criminal prosecution. Under the brochure's barking procedure no complaint is anonymous, the warden records dates and times and the names and addresses of at least two corroborating witnesses who do not live with the complainant, the complaint stays on file for one year, and a complainant who finds the problem not fixed within that year collects the report at 146 S. High St., Room 700 and starts the prosecution at 217 S. High St., Room 742. The 3-1-1 page gives office hours of Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; the brochure gives the Animal Warden's hours as Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and 330-375-2181 after hours, on weekends and on holidays. Penalty under the code: a violation of 132.15 is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree (132.15(D)); a violation of 132.16 is a minor misdemeanor, and a misdemeanor of the fourth degree if the offender persists after reasonable warning or request to desist (132.16(D)). Section 130.99, the penalty section for Title 13, sets the figures: for a misdemeanor of the fourth degree, imprisonment of not more than thirty days (130.99(C)(4)) and a fine of not more than $350 (130.99(D)(4)); for a minor misdemeanor, a fine of not more than $150 (130.99(E)). Barking under 92.14 is a minor misdemeanor (92.99(A)); Chapter 92 names the degree and states no dollar figure for it. Where the violation involves sound equipment in a motor vehicle, the code deems both the equipment and the vehicle contraband, subject to seizure and forfeiture (132.16(E)). Sources: https://www.akronohio.gov/departments/public_safety/safety_communications.php, https://www.akronohio.gov/departments/neighborhood_assistance/311.php, https://www.akronohio.gov/departments/neighborhood_assistance/nuisance_compliance_division.php, https://www.akronohio.gov/Documents/Departments/Neighborhood%20Assistance/Nuisance%20Compliance%20Division/dog_brochure7_15.pdf and https://online.akronohio.gov/APDWebPortal/.
From the city's official pages and code, verified 2026-11-09. Numbers and departments change; if a line does not answer, the city's main switchboard can redirect you.
Before you call
- Log it. Date, start and end time, what the noise was and where you heard it from. Three dated entries carry more weight than one angry call.
- Measure it if you can. Akron enforces mostly by audibility, so the log is the main evidence, but a reading shows how loud it really was. The free noise log runs in your browser, records nothing, and saves a dated report.
- Check the rule. Quiet hours in Akron: 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. (amplified sound in residential areas); barking dogs 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. The Akron noise ordinance page quotes the code verbatim, so you can cite the section.
- Try the source once. A neighbour, landlord or venue manager often fixes it faster than the city does, and telling them first strengthens a later complaint.
What happens after you file
Non-emergency noise reports are queued, not dispatched, so a first call rarely ends the noise that night. What it does is start a record against the address. Repeated reports, a dated log and a reading are what move a case from a warning to a citation. Where the city needs an officer to witness the noise, as most audibility rules require, file while it is happening rather than the next morning.
How loud is Akron in general? The Akron noise map shows the federal transportation-noise data for every neighbourhood, and the apartment quiet hours page compares every city's night rule.
Who do I call for a noise complaint in Akron?
Call Akron Police on a non-emergency line, 330-375-2181 or 330-375-2101, and keep 911 for emergencies.
What are the quiet hours in Akron?
9 p.m. to 8 a.m. (amplified sound in residential areas); barking dogs 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Akron noise ordinance page.
Should I call 911 for noise in Akron?
Only if there is danger, a threat or a crime in progress. For ongoing noise use the non-emergency police line or the department named above; repeated calls build an official record tied to the address, which is what code enforcement acts on.
What evidence helps a noise complaint in Akron?
Akron enforces mostly by audibility and disturbance rules rather than a decibel number, so a log of dates, times, durations and where you could hear it from matters more than a meter reading, though a reading still helps.
This page is a plain-language guide to the reporting route, not legal advice. Ordinances and contact numbers get amended; check the linked official sources before relying on a specific provision.
