Noise complaints › Fort Collins

How to file a noise complaint in Fort Collins

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

Official text: Fort Collins Municipal Code, Chapter 20, Article II (Noise): 20-21 Definitions (Code 1972, § 78-9; Ord. No. 154, 2001, 11-6-01; Ord. No. 071, 2004, § 1, 5-18-04; Ord. No. 084, 2008, § 3, 8-19-08; Ord. No. 083, 2025, § 1, 6-3-25), 20-22 Reserved (the former "Unreasonable noise" section, renumbered as § 17-129 by Ord. No. 084, 2008, adopted 8-19-08, per the editor's note), 20-23 Maximum permissible noise levels (Code 1972, § 78-2; Ord. No. 9, 1998, 2-3-98; Ord. No. 154, 2001, 11-6-01; Ord. No. 056, 2024, § 29, 5-7-24), 20-24 Classification and measurement of noise (Code 1972, § 78-3; Ord. No. 154, 2001, 11-6-01; Ord. No. 084, 2008, § 4, 8-19-08), 20-25 Exceptions (Code 1972, § 78-4; Ord. No. 26, 1990, 4-3-90; Ord. No. 93, 1999, 6-15-99; Ord. No. 154, 2001, 11-6-01; Ord. No. 083, 2025, § 2, 6-3-25), 20-26 Extraterritorial noise source (Ord. No. 154, 2001, 11-6-01), 20-27 Variances (Code 1972, § 78-5; Ord. No. 154, 2001, 11-6-01), 20-28 Motor vehicle maximum sound levels (Code 1972, § 78-7; Ord. No. 154, 2001, 11-6-01; Ord. No. 16, 2003, § 10, 2-18-03), 20-29 Violations and penalties (Code 1972, § 78-8(A), (B); Ord. No. 154, 2001, 11-6-01). Also Chapter 17, § 17-129 Unreasonable noise prohibited (Code 1972, § 78-1; last amended Ord. No. 092, 2026, § 34, 8-18-26), and Chapter 1, § 1-15 General penalty (amended by Ordinance No. 131, 2026). Text read on Municode, the City's code host, Supplement 156 Update 2, online content updated October 19, 2026..

Where to file in Fort Collins

The City's Contact Police page gives 970-419-3273 (FCPD) for a non-emergency situation and 911 for an emergency or in-progress situation. Code Compliance, whose inspector the code empowers to issue a summons for violations of the decibel limits (20-21), lists 970-416-2350 and CodeCompliance@fortcollins.gov, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its office is at 281 N. College Ave., and the same inspector decides variances for stationary noise sources (20-27). Any violation of the noise Article is cause for a summons by authorized enforcement officials and, on conviction, carries the general penalty in § 1-15 (20-29). For unreasonable noise, police make the first call (17-129(b)); a first violation is an unclassified petty offense (a fine of up to $2,650, no jail) and a second within 12 months an unclassified misdemeanor (up to $2,650, up to 180 days in jail, or both) (17-129(d), (e); § 1-15(a), (h)). Sources: https://library.municode.com/co/fort_collins/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=CH17MIOF (§ 17-129), https://www.fortcollins.gov/Services/Police-and-Public-Safety/Contact-Police and https://www.fortcollins.gov/Services/Housing/In-Your-Neighborhood/Code-Compliance.

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

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. Fort Collins 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 Fort Collins: 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. (lower dB limits; construction and lawn tools lose their exemption). The Fort Collins 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 Fort Collins in general? The Fort Collins 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 Fort Collins?

The City's Contact Police page gives 970-419-3273 (FCPD) for a non-emergency situation and 911 for an emergency or in-progress situation.

What are the quiet hours in Fort Collins?

8 p.m. to 7 a.m. (lower dB limits; construction and lawn tools lose their exemption). The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Fort Collins noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Fort Collins?

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 Fort Collins?

Fort Collins 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.