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How to file a noise complaint in Columbia

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 Columbia acts on. Log noise levels for a complaint — free, runs in your browser, records no audio.

Official text: Columbia City Code, the Code of Ordinances of the City of Columbia, South Carolina (the 1998 Code), Chapter 8 (Environmental Health and Sanitation), Article III (Noise). Division 1 (Generally): Sec. 8-61 Unreasonably loud, disturbing or unnecessary noise; 8-62 Noises in connection with loading or unloading vehicles; 8-63 Radios, phonographs, musical instruments and other sound-amplifying devices; 8-64 Crying out or playing bells, drum or other instrument to attract attention; 8-65 Building operations; 8-66 Audible signal alarm devices; Secs. 8-67 to 8-90 Reserved. Division 2 (Noise Pollution): Sec. 8-91 Definitions; 8-92 Measurement of sound level; 8-93 Maximum permitted sound levels; 8-94 Exceptions; 8-95 Vehicle muffler required; 8-96 Animal sounds; Secs. 8-97 to 8-120 Reserved. Every section's history line reads Ord. No. 2019-059, 9-17-19, and the editor's note says Ord. No. 2019-059, adopted Sept. 17, 2019, amended former Art. III in its entirety. Related sections outside the article: Sec. 1-5 General penalty; continuing violations (Ord. No. 2000-052, 7-26-00); Sec. 4-70 Nuisance animals (Code 1979, § 9-5035; Ord. No. 2001-070, 6-26-02) and Sec. 14-108 Discharge of fireworks (Ord. No. 2022-083, § 1, 11-1-22; Ord. No. 2023-093, 11-21-23). Text read on Municode, version Feb 24, 2026 (current), Supplement 35, codified through Ordinance No. 2025-090, enacted October 28, 2025, on 2026-11-09..

Where to file in Columbia

The official route found is the Columbia Police Department's non-emergency line, (803) 252-2911; no City of Columbia page read today explains how to file a noise complaint or states quiet hours. The Columbia Police Department FAQ says "Call 803-252-2911 for non emergency related incidents", the Columbia-Richland 911 Communications page lists it as the Non-Emergency Phone, and the City phone directory shows Non-Emergency 252-2911. The police online report page says non-emergency calls are routed to the Columbia-Richland Communications Center (Dispatch Center) at that number; as read, it does not list noise as an online report type. Barking and other animal noise: the police Nuisance Animal page takes non-urgent reports through its online reporting system (its sample report describes a dog that "barks almost non-stop") and says to call (803) 252-2911 and have an officer respond if the animal is a danger to the public or in distress; Columbia Animal Services is at (803) 776-PETS (7387). MyCOLASC, the City's service request app, is a non-emergency reporting system whose page names potholes, fallen trees, damaged park equipment and broken streetlights, not noise. Why the call matters: a criminal penalty under 8-61 applies only to a person who violates it after a law enforcement officer has given notice that the noise is unlawful, and the notice must be written (8-61(b)); 8-63(e) sets the same rule for radios, instruments and sound-amplifying devices, although as printed it cites section 8-67. The penalty is the code's general one: a fine of not more than $500 or imprisonment for not more than 30 days, or both (1-5(a)). Sec. 1-5(a) applies wherever the code prohibits an act or declares it unlawful and provides no specific penalty, which covers the loading, attention-getting and building-operations rules (8-62, 8-64, 8-65) and Division 2, none of which states a penalty of its own. Unless otherwise provided, each day a violation continues is a separate offense (1-5(b)). A city law enforcement officer, or a city employee the city manager designates as a code enforcement officer, may issue a uniform ordinance summons to municipal court, which may not be used for a custodial arrest and does not cover rules on the use of motor vehicles on public roads (1-5(c)). A violation of the alarm rules is a misdemeanor punishable under Sec. 1-5, with each day a separate offense (8-66(4)); a nuisance animal violation is a misdemeanor subject to the penalties in Sec. 1-5, with each day a separate offense (4-73(c)); and a fireworks violation carries a civil penalty of up to $100 for a first offense, $250 for a second and $500 for a third or later one within five years (14-108(d)). Sources: https://columbiapd.net/faq/, https://publicsafety.columbiasc.gov/911-communications/, https://columbiasc.gov/phone-directory/, https://columbiapd.net/submit-a-police-report/, https://columbiapd.net/nuisance-animal/, https://animalservices.columbiasc.gov/animal-ordinance/ and https://columbiasc.gov/mycolasc/.

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. Columbia 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.
3. Check the rule. Quiet hours in Columbia: 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. (50 dB(A) residential limit, loading, building work); music 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The Columbia 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 Columbia in general? The Columbia 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 Columbia?

The official route found is the Columbia Police Department's non-emergency line, (803) 252-2911; no City of Columbia page read today explains how to file a noise complaint or states quiet hours.

What are the quiet hours in Columbia?

11 p.m. to 6 a.m. (50 dB(A) residential limit, loading, building work); music 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Columbia noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Columbia?

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 Columbia?

Columbia 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.