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How to file a noise complaint in El Paso

Last updated: September 20, 2026

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

Official text: El Paso City Code, Title 9 "Health and Safety," Chapter 9.40 "Noise," Secs. 9.40.010 (definitions, including "noise nuisance," "local ambient reading," "restaurant"), 9.40.020 (applicability: exemptions in subsection A, listed noise nuisances in subsection B), 9.40.030 (sound level violations: the 70 dB(A) and 75 dB(C) night limits, restaurant hours, measurement procedure and reading location), 9.40.040 (vibration), 9.40.050 (sound level measurement), 9.40.060 (identification of violator), 9.40.070 (penalties), 9.40.080 (enforcement); Secs. 9.40.090–9.40.140 reserved. The chapter was rewritten by Ord. No. 18908 (adopted 2-26-2019, effective 180 days later per its Section 15), and amended by Ord. No. 019696 (12-17-2024) and Ord. No. 019782 (8-19-2025). Text read on Municode (the City's code host) on 2026-09-20..

Where to file in El Paso

Dial 3-1-1 (the City's EP311 program; its page lists "Noise Complaints" among the most-reported issue types, takes reports online with an account or anonymously, and answers Sunday–Thursday 7:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m. and Friday–Saturday 7:00 a.m.–2:00 a.m.). For a party or music in progress, the El Paso Police Department's non-emergency line is (915) 832-4400 (eppd.org: "Non-Emergencies: Call (915) 832-4400"; emergencies and crimes in progress, 9-1-1). The City Attorney's office publishes a Noise Complaint Form (elpasotexas.gov, City Attorney complaint forms) for documented, repeat problems. Sec. 9.40.080 places enforcement with the director of planning and inspections, the director of code enforcement, or the police chief and their designees, so a meter reading can come from code compliance or police (Sec. 9.40.050).

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

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. El Paso 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 El Paso are 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (70 dBA / 75 dBC); restaurants from 11 p.m. Fri–Sat. The El Paso 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 El Paso in general? The El Paso 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 El Paso?

Dial 3-1-1 (the City's EP311 program; its page lists "Noise Complaints" among the most-reported issue types, takes reports online with an account or anonymously, and answers Sunday–Thursday 7:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m. and Friday–Saturday 7:00 a.m.–2:00 a.m.).

What are the quiet hours in El Paso?

10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (70 dBA / 75 dBC); restaurants from 11 p.m. Fri–Sat. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the El Paso noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in El Paso?

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 El Paso?

El Paso 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.