How to file a noise complaint in Cambridge

Last updated: October 30, 2026

Documenting this? A dated log of when the noise started, when it stopped and how loud it got is what Cambridge acts on. Log noise levels for a complaint — free, runs in your browser, records no audio.

Cambridge noise complaint at a glance
Quiet hours	Construction 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. (9 a.m. weekend, holiday mornings); power tools 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
How it is enforced	Decibel limits for some sources, audibility for others
Emergencies	911
Ordinance	Cambridge Municipal Code

Official text: Cambridge Municipal Code, Title 8, Chapter 8.16 "Noise Control" (the "Noise Control Ordinance" of the City of Cambridge): 8.16.010 short title, 8.16.020 declaration of findings and policy, scope, 8.16.030 definitions, 8.16.040 enforcement, 8.16.050 general prohibition of noise disturbances, 8.16.060 measured noise disturbance (Table 8.16.060E), 8.16.070 restrictions on noise emitted from construction sites, 8.16.080 non-measured noise disturbances, 8.16.081 leaf blowers ("Leaf Blower Ordinance", 8.16.081.1 to 8.16.081.6), 8.16.090 exceptions and variances, 8.16.100 miscellaneous (Ord. 1121, 1991; Ord. No. 1167, amended 09/11/95, and Ord. 1200, amended 04/27/1998, additions to 8.16.080(J)(3), for 8.16.080; Ord. 1206, added 07/27/1998, for 8.16.060.A.3, Table 8.16.060E and the exemptions in the 8.16.080 preamble; Ord. No. 2023-10, 12-4-2023, for 8.16.081). Text read on Municode, the City's code host, Supplement 14, online content updated April 21, 2025, on 2026-10-30..

Where to file in Cambridge

The City's Noise Ordinance Information page (last modified April 15, 2026) says violations or complaints regarding any noise issue should be reported to the police's non-emergency line or the License Commission. Police: the page's police non-emergency number is 617-349-3300, where callers reach the ECC. License Commission: 617-349-6140, 831 Massachusetts Ave., 1st Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139, open Monday 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday to Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday 8:30 a.m. to noon; the page also links its Special Noise Variance Online Application. Street performers play under permits from the Cambridge Arts Council: during regular business hours the page says to report noise complaints to the Arts Council at 617-349-4380, and after hours to the ECC at the police non-emergency number, 617-349-3300, which will send a police unit to investigate. Under the code, the Police Commissioner, the Commissioner of the Inspectional Services Department and the Chairperson of the License Commission, and their designees, enforce the chapter (8.16.030(1), 8.16.040.A), with the Commissioner of Public Works added for leaf blowers (8.16.081.5(2)); they may order remedial action or issue citations under G.L. c. 40, § 21D, assessing fines of $300 for each day a violation is committed or continues, and a violator may also be prosecuted for a misdemeanor and fined $300 on conviction (8.16.040.C). Sources: https://www.cambridgema.gov/Services/noiseordinanceinformation.

From the city's official pages and code, verified 2026-10-30. 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. Cambridge sets measured limits, so a reading near the limit is direct evidence. The free noise log runs in your browser, records nothing, and saves a dated report.
Check the rule. Quiet hours in Cambridge: Construction 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. (9 a.m. weekend, holiday mornings); power tools 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The Cambridge 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 Cambridge in general? The Cambridge 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 Cambridge?

What are the quiet hours in Cambridge?

Construction 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. (9 a.m. weekend, holiday mornings); power tools 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Cambridge noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Cambridge?

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 Cambridge?

Cambridge uses both decibel limits and audibility rules, so keep a dated log and take readings when you can; which rule applies depends on the source of the noise.

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.