How to file a noise complaint in Fort Lauderdale

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

Fort Lauderdale noise complaint at a glance
Quiet hours	10 p.m. to 7 a.m.; no construction before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m. (Sunday before 10 a.m.)
How it is enforced	Decibel limits for some sources, audibility for others
Emergencies	911
Ordinance	Fort Lauderdale Code of Ordinances Chapter 17 "Noise Control"

Official text: Fort Lauderdale Code of Ordinances Chapter 17 "Noise Control", Secs. 17-1 to 17-10: 17-1 Definitions, 17-2 Penalties, 17-3 Noise control officers, 17-4 Sound level measurement, 17-5 General prohibitions, 17-6 Maximum permissible sound levels (Table I), 17-7 Specific restrictions, 17-8 Exemptions, 17-9 Construction of large public works transportation projects, 17-10 Construction of large or complex projects (transportation and non-transportation); exemption for time to comply. History: Ord. No. C-08-37, adopted 7-15-08, whose § 1 repealed the former Chapter 17 and whose § 2 enacted the present one (editor's note); every section carries Ord. No. C-08-37, § 2, 7-15-08, except 17-10, which C-18-18 rewrote; 17-6 amended by Ord. No. C-24-48, § 1, 12-3-24; 17-7 by Ord. No. C-22-11, § 2, 4-5-22, Ord. No. C-24-48, § 2, 12-3-24, and Ord. No. C-25-27, § 1, 6-30-25; 17-8 by Ord. No. C-22-11, § 3, 4-5-22; 17-10 by Ord. No. C-18-18, § 1, 8-21-18, Ord. No. C-20-37, § 1, 11-5-20, and Ord. No. C-21-08, § 2, 3-2-21. Also Chapter 15, Article X "Vacation Rental", Secs. 15-270 to 15-284 (Ord. No. C-15-29, § 1, 8-18-2015; Ord. No. C-16-25, § 1, 12-6-16; Ord. No. C-17-07, §§ 1 and 2, 4-19-17; Ord. No. C-23-34, § 1, 9-19-23), including 15-273 application for registration, 15-275 responsible party, 15-278 vacation rental standards, 15-282 penalties and 15-283 complaints. Text read on Municode, the City's code host, Supplement 67, online content updated October 22, 2026, on 2026-10-30..

Where to file in Fort Lauderdale

Call the City's 24/7 Customer Support Center at 954-828-8000, the line the City gives for noise after business hours, or, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Community Enhancement and Compliance Division at 954-828-5207. The Fort Lauderdale Police Department's non-emergency number is 954-764-4357 (954-764-HELP), and 911 is for emergencies. Code violation reports can also be made online through LauderBuild or FixIt FTL (also an Android and Apple app), by email to CommunityEnhancement@fortlauderdale.gov with your name and address, in person at 700 NW 19th Avenue (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), or by mailing or bringing the Division's complaint form there. The City's Enhancement and Compliance page adds that since July 1, 2021 Florida law bars a code inspector from starting an investigation on an anonymous complaint, so a person reporting a violation must give a name and address first, unless the inspector has reason to believe the violation is an imminent threat to public health, safety or welfare or imminent destruction of habitat or sensitive resources. Under the code, noise control officers (environmental inspectors, building and zoning inspectors, code enforcement officers and police enforcement personnel) enforce the chapter (17-1, 17-3). Penalties: Chapter 17 refers to "section 1-6 and/or Chapter 11" of the Code (17-2), which were not part of the text read, so no fine amount for Chapter 17 is given here. At a vacation rental, a violation of Article X is a civil infraction with a $250 penalty for each uncontested violation for a first offense and $325 for each contested violation, repeat violations being assessed under section 11-21; a law enforcement officer may issue the citation, and a code inspector or law enforcement officer may issue it without a written warning first (15-282(c)(1)); and anyone may file a written complaint with the City Manager or a designee (15-283). Sources: https://www.fortlauderdale.gov/Government/Departments/Community-Services/Community-Enhancement-and-Compliance/Enhancement-and-Compliance (City lines, online, email, in person, anonymous complaints), https://www.flpd.gov/ and https://www.fortlauderdale.gov/Government/Departments/Fire-Rescue/Services-Resources/Community-Programs/Hurricane-Preparedness/Important-Contact-Information (police non-emergency), and the City's Noise Ordinance page, https://www.fortlauderdale.gov/Government/Departments/Community-Services/Community-Enhancement-and-Compliance/Enhancement-and-Compliance/Noise-Ordinance.

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. Fort Lauderdale 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 Fort Lauderdale: 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.; no construction before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m. (Sunday before 10 a.m.). The Fort Lauderdale 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 Fort Lauderdale in general? The Fort Lauderdale 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 Lauderdale?

What are the quiet hours in Fort Lauderdale?

10 p.m. to 7 a.m.; no construction before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m. (Sunday before 10 a.m.). The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Fort Lauderdale noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Fort Lauderdale?

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 Lauderdale?

Fort Lauderdale 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.