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How to file a noise complaint in Cedar Rapids

Last updated: November 9, 2026

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

Official text: Cedar Rapids Municipal Code, Chapter 56 (Motor Vehicle Noise and Noise Limits From Certain Sound Sources): 56.01 Definitions, with Table 1 (20-83), 56.02 Noise Prohibitions and Limited Sound Sources (20-83, 54-94, 034-15) and 56.03 Enforcement (27-97); Chapter 62 (Offenses Against Public Peace and Morals): 62.01 Disturbing the Peace (25-78; 034-15) and 62.05 Bells and Sound Amplifiers; Chapter 23 (Cats, Dogs and Other Animals): 23.06 Animal Noise and 23.33 Scheduled Offenses and Fines (061-11; the chapter note says Chapter 23 was adopted by Ordinance 50-05, passed July 27, 2005, and reenacted by Ordinance 061-11, passed December 6, 2011 and published December 12, 2011); Chapter 1 (General Provisions): 1.06 Penalties (43-06) and 1.12 Municipal Infractions (82-91). The numbers in brackets are the ordinance history lines as the code prints them. Text read on Municode, the City's code host, version of Sept. 22, 2026 (Supp. No. 25, Update 1), codified through Ordinance No. 025-26, passed July 28, 2026, on 2026-11-09. Municode lists one adopted ordinance as not yet codified: Ordinance No. 03-26, adopted 10/20/26, which repeals Chapter 23 and replaces it with a new Chapter 23 (Animal Control, Animal Laws, and Other Regulations). The Chapter 23 read is the earlier one, still the codified text that day, and the new ordinance's text was not read. The page text read shows no subsection letters, so 56.02 is cited here by its paragraph headings; 62.01(a) and (b) are lettered from the section's own cross-reference and from the City's Animal Care and Control page, which quotes 62.01(b). State law read: Iowa Code 2026, sections 723.4 (Disorderly conduct) and 364.22 (Municipal infractions)..

Where to file in Cedar Rapids

Call the Cedar Rapids Police Department's non-emergency line, 319-286-5491, and 911 in an emergency. The City's My CR page lists Barking Dog among the concerns that should be phoned in at once and sends it to Police non-emergency at 319-286-5491, and the Animal Care and Control page says barking dog complaints should be reported to the Cedar Rapids Police Department at the same number. No City page read gives a separate line for loud music, parties or vehicle noise. The police department's list of call types includes a noise disturbance type. The My CR request portal lists Police Non-Emergency and Animal Control among its categories and has no noise category; the Neighborhood Services page says residents should not be subjected to noise complaints in their neighborhood and points to My CR for reports at any time of day or night. Animal Care and Control (319-286-5993) takes other animal complaints inside the city limits. What the code says about complaints: the noise disturbance rules of Chapter 56 may be enforced on a complaint made or filed with city officials by a person disturbed, and peace officers may enforce without a complaint if, in the officer's judgment, sufficient evidence exists (56.03). The animal noise section may be enforced only on written receipt of a complaint, made to the animal control authority or to law enforcement by a person who lives or is employed in the affected area (23.06). Penalty: Chapters 56 and 62 state no penalty for these rules, so the standard penalty applies: on conviction, a fine of not more than $625 or less than $65, and the court may order imprisonment for not more than 30 days in addition to or in place of a fine; each day a violation occurs or continues is a separate offense (1.06). The City has also adopted the state's municipal infraction procedure for any violation of the city code, other than conduct that is a simple misdemeanor under certain chapters of the Iowa Code (1.12): a civil penalty of not more than $750 for each violation, or not more than $1,000 for a repeat offense (Iowa Code 364.22(1)(a)). Animal noise has a scheduled fine of $75.00 for the first violation and $150 for every subsequent offense (23.33), and the animal may be seized and impounded as a nuisance if the disturbance reoccurs after the owner or custodian has received two written warnings within a calendar year (23.06). Under state law, making loud and raucous noise in the vicinity of a residence or public building that intentionally or recklessly causes unreasonable distress to the occupants is disorderly conduct, a simple misdemeanor (Iowa Code 723.4(1)(b)). Sources: https://cedar-rapids.org/MyCR/, https://my.cedar-rapids.org/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2F, https://www.cedar-rapids.org/local_government/departments_a_-_f/animal_control/abuse_investigation.php, https://www.cedar-rapids.org/local_government/departments_a_-_f/animal_control/index.php, https://www.cedar-rapids.org/local_government/departments_g_-_v/police/calldispositionlist.php, https://www.cedar-rapids.org/residents/neighborhood_services/index.php, https://www.cedar-rapids.org/local_government/departments_g_-_v/police/safe_cr.php, https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/364.22.pdf and https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/723.4.pdf.

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

1. 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.
2. Measure it if you can. Cedar Rapids sets measured limits for some noise, so a reading can help, and a dated log counts either way. The free noise log runs in your browser, records nothing, and saves a dated report.
3. Check the rule. Quiet hours in Cedar Rapids: 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (50 dBA at residences for listed sources; mowers, chain saws, trash hauling). The Cedar Rapids noise ordinance page quotes the code verbatim, so you can cite the section.
4. 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 Cedar Rapids in general? The Cedar Rapids 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 Cedar Rapids?

Call the Cedar Rapids Police Department's non-emergency line, 319-286-5491, and 911 in an emergency.

What are the quiet hours in Cedar Rapids?

10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (50 dBA at residences for listed sources; mowers, chain saws, trash hauling). The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Cedar Rapids noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Cedar Rapids?

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 Cedar Rapids?

Cedar Rapids uses decibel limits for some noise and other tests for the rest, so keep a dated log and take readings when you can; the rules above say which applies.

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.