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Noise complaints › Arlington
How to file a noise complaint in Arlington
Per arlingtontx.gov (City phone directory): Police non-emergency dispatch 817-274-4444; emergencies 9-1-1. Ongoing nuisance conditions, including animal noise under Sec. 2.03(M)(1), are reported to the Action Center at 817-459-6777 (Action@arlingtontx.gov) or Code Compliance at the same number (Code@arlingtontx.gov), and non-emergency police reports can be filed online through the Police Reporting System.
Last updated:
Documenting this? A dated log of when the noise started, when it stopped and how loud it got is what Arlington acts on. Log noise levels for a complaint — free, runs in your browser, records no audio.
| Quiet hours | No set hours: unreasonable noise near a home is disorderly conduct (state law) |
|---|---|
| How it is enforced | Audibility, no general decibel limit |
| Emergencies | 911 |
| Ordinance | Arlington City Code of Ordinances |
Where to file in Arlington
Per arlingtontx.gov (City phone directory): Police non-emergency dispatch 817-274-4444; emergencies 9-1-1. Ongoing nuisance conditions, including animal noise under Sec. 2.03(M)(1), are reported to the Action Center at 817-459-6777 (Action@arlingtontx.gov) or Code Compliance at the same number (Code@arlingtontx.gov), and non-emergency police reports can be filed online through the Police Reporting System. Because the party and music rule is the state disorderly-conduct offense, a police officer is the enforcer; under § 42.01(c)(2) the officer's warning that the noise is a public nuisance is what makes an 85-decibel reading a presumption of unreasonableness, so the sequence is warning first, citation on return. Sec. 3.02(A) makes a 2.03(M) violation a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500, each day a separate offense; the state offense is a Class C misdemeanor (§ 42.01(d)).
From the city's official pages and code, verified 2026-09-20. Numbers and departments change; if a line does not answer, the city's main switchboard or 311 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. Arlington 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 Arlington are No set hours: unreasonable noise near a home is disorderly conduct (state law). The Arlington 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.
Measure it now, from where you hear it. Stop the meter to save a dated report you can attach to the 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 Arlington in general? The Arlington 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 Arlington?
Per arlingtontx.gov (City phone directory): Police non-emergency dispatch 817-274-4444; emergencies 9-1-1.
What are the quiet hours in Arlington?
No set hours: unreasonable noise near a home is disorderly conduct (state law). The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Arlington noise ordinance page.
Should I call 911 for noise in Arlington?
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 Arlington?
Arlington enforces mostly by whether the sound is plainly audible at a set distance, 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.