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How to file a noise complaint in Fort Worth

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

Official text: Fort Worth Code of Ordinances, Chapter 23 "Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions," § 23-8 "Noise": (a) general provisions, (b) definitions ("unreasonable noise," "bounding real property line," "sound level"), (c) restrictions on decibel levels (the zoning-district table and the 30-second measurement rule), (d) noise prohibited (the reasonable-person standard and its listed forms: animals, construction work, solid waste collection, musical instruments, horns, vehicles), (e) exemptions, (f) enforcement, (g) penalties. Derived from 1964 Code § 27-18; Ord. 8767 (1983), Ord. 15608 (2003), Ord. 20191-05-2012, and Ord. 24752-03-2021 (passed 3-23-2021, eff. 3-31-2021), which added the decibel table. Text read on American Legal Publishing (the City's code host) on 2026-09-20; the City's own April 2, 2024 council briefing "Noise Ordinance Update" (fortworthtexas.gov) restates the same table..

Where to file in Fort Worth

Per the City's MyFW app guide (fortworthtexas.gov, "Reporting a Noise Disturbance is as easy as 1-2-3"): add a new request in the My Fort Worth app, fill in the fields, and under "Police" select "Loud Music/Party – Noise Disturbance," adding the party's location and your details under Reporter so officers can follow up. Fort Worth Police Department non-emergency line: 817-392-4222 (emergencies 9-1-1). § 23-8(f) puts enforcement "primarily" with the police department and the code compliance department; the 2024 council briefing describes officers giving a verbal warning first and citing if the violator can be located, and notes that construction noise and solid-waste timing complaints run through code compliance (which also grants the waste-hauler waivers under (d)(2)c). Animal noise complaints go to Code Compliance's animal services (fortworthtexas.gov, "Animal Noise Complaint").

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. Fort Worth 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 Worth are 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (60 dBA residential); construction 7 a.m. – 8 p.m., 9 a.m. on weekends. The Fort Worth 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 Worth in general? The Fort Worth 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 Worth?

Per the City's MyFW app guide (fortworthtexas.gov, "Reporting a Noise Disturbance is as easy as 1-2-3"): add a new request in the My Fort Worth app, fill in the fields, and under "Police" select "Loud Music/Party – Noise Disturbance," adding the party's location and your details under Reporter so officers can follow up.

What are the quiet hours in Fort Worth?

10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (60 dBA residential); construction 7 a.m. – 8 p.m., 9 a.m. on weekends. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Fort Worth noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Fort Worth?

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 Worth?

Fort Worth 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.