Noise complaints › Greensboro

How to file a noise complaint in Greensboro

Last updated: October 5, 2026

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

Official text: Greensboro, North Carolina, Code of Ordinances, Chapter 18 "Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions," Article IV "Offenses of Unreasonable or Disturbing Sound," Secs. 18-48 through 18-58.1 (enacted by Ord. No. 07-253, 11-5-07, which repealed the former noise sections 18-41 and 18-41.1; amended by Ord. No. 09-159 (9-15-09), Ord. No. 12-31 (4-16-12), Ord. No. 13-105 (7-16-13), Ord. No. 13-119 (9-17-13), Ord. No. 20-163 (12-15-20), Ord. of 10-3-22(2) and Res. No. 048-24 (2-20-24)): 18-48 intent, 18-49 unlawful noises and sounds, 18-50 unlawful noise producing activities (a) to (p), 18-50.1 outside sound-producing activities, 18-51 sounds impacting residential life (Residential Decibel Limits Table), 18-52 measurement of sound, 18-53 non-commercial free speech, 18-54 exceptions from the article, 18-55 enforcement responsibility, 18-56 noise enforcement officer, 18-57 interference with enforcement officer, 18-58 penalties, 18-58.1 owner and occupant responsibility; with Sec. 1-6 (each day a separate offense), Sec. 5-5 (nuisance animals, as amended by Ord. of 05-19-2026(3)) and Sec. 13-206 (commercial street performers). Text read on Municode (library.municode.com, the City's code host: "Codified through Ordinances of June 16, 2026. (Supp. No. 133, Update 1)"; Municode lists no uncodified Greensboro ordinances) on 2026-10-05..

Where to file in Greensboro

Per the Greensboro Police Department's "Connect with GPD" page on greensboro-nc.gov: "If you have an emergency CALL 9-1-1. To report something that is not an emergency, Call 336-373-2222." The GPD "I Want To..." page also says "For Non-emergencies or to report a hit-and-run traffic accident, please call 373-2222," but the same page, in its unwanted-weapon item, calls 336-373-1000 "GPD's non-emergency line"; the two numbers conflict, and 336-373-2222 is the one the department's contact page gives for non-emergency reports. Neither page mentions noise by name, and we found no separate City noise-complaint page or form. Under the code, the chief of police or a departmental designee has primary enforcement responsibility (18-55(a)); a noise enforcement officer acting as the chief's designee is charged with monitoring noise complaints (18-56(h)); any police officer "shall issue a citation" for a violation and may arrest only if the alleged violator refuses to give a name and address, refuses to stop after being cited, or interferes with the officer (18-55(b)). The first violation draws a warning notice and later ones civil penalties (18-58), and a citation or penalty can be appealed to a nonjudicial administrative hearing with the chief of police or a designee, requested within 30 days (18-58(b)). Sources: https://www.greensboro-nc.gov/departments/contact-us and https://www.greensboro-nc.gov/departments/police/i-want-to.

From the city's official pages and code, verified 2026-10-05. 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. Greensboro 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 Greensboro are 11:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.; construction in residential districts 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.. The Greensboro 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 Greensboro in general? The Greensboro 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 Greensboro?

Per the Greensboro Police Department's "Connect with GPD" page on greensboro-nc.gov: "If you have an emergency CALL 9-1-1.

What are the quiet hours in Greensboro?

11:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.; construction in residential districts 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Greensboro noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Greensboro?

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 Greensboro?

Greensboro 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.