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How to file a noise complaint in Honolulu

Last updated: October 1, 2026

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

Official text: State of Hawaii, Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 11 (Department of Health), Chapter 46 "Community Noise Control" (effective September 23, 1996; replaced Chapter 11-43, Community Noise Control for Oahu): 11-46-1 purpose, 11-46-2 definitions, 11-46-3 classification of zoning districts, 11-46-4 maximum permissible sound levels (Table 1), 11-46-5 exemptions, 11-46-6 noise prohibited, 11-46-7 permits (construction hours, 11-46-7(j)), 11-46-8 variances, 11-46-9 measurement, 11-46-10 certification, 11-46-13 other ordinances and rules, 11-46-14 enforcement, 11-46-16 penalties; adopted under Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 342F "Noise Pollution" (342F-4.5 projects exempt from noise permit requirements, L 1999, c 57; 342F-18 enforcement by state and county authorities; 342F-20; 342F-30 prohibition; 342F-30.8 leaf blowers and weed whackers, L 2010, c 206, am L 2024, c 179); HRS 711-1101 disorderly conduct (unreasonable noise, subsections (1)(b) and (2); section last amended L 2003, c 48). City and County of Honolulu, Revised Ordinances of Honolulu 2021 (in effect November 18, 2022; Supplement 11, through Ord. No. 26-18, June 30, 2026): Chapter 41, Article 6 "Noise Control," §§ 41-6.1 to 41-6.5 (Ord. 90-26; formerly ROH 1990 §§ 41-31.1 to 41-31.5), Article 7 "Noises in Vicinity of Hospitals," §§ 41-7.1 to 41-7.2, Article 8 "Sound Levels for the Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell," §§ 41-8.1 to 41-8.6 (Ord. 91-88; Ord. 96-58), Article 9 "Use of Sound Amplifying Device in Public Buildings," § 41-9.1 et seq.; Chapter 12, Article 2, animal nuisance, §§ 12-2.2 to 12-2.4 (Ord. 90-55, as amended); § 21-4.80 Land Use Ordinance noise regulations (Ord. 99-12; Ord. 25-2). Text read on health.hawaii.gov (HAR 11-46, the Department of Health's searchable PDF), data.capitol.hawaii.gov (HRS, the Legislature's statute host) and American Legal Publishing (the ROH host linked by the City's Office of Council Services) on 2026-10-01..

Where to file in Honolulu

Machinery and construction go to the State: per health.hawaii.gov, Indoor and Radiological Health Branch, "Noise Section" page, the section responds to regulated excessive-noise complaints (construction, industrial and agricultural activities and stationary mechanical equipment); contact the Noise Section at 99-945 Halawa Valley Street, 'Aiea, HI 96701, phone (808) 586-4700, fax (808) 586-5838, email doh.irhb@doh.hawaii.gov. Its "Noise – Forms and Links" FAQ page says that noise "resulting directly from people, such as loud gatherings next-door, verbal disputes, nuisance noises from animals, emergency sirens, and noises from vehicles" not used for construction, industrial or agricultural work is outside its jurisdiction, and sends animal nuisance noise, radios and other sound-reproducing devices, noise near hospitals and amplifiers in public buildings to the Honolulu Police Department. Per honolulupd.org (HPD's FAQ and Contact Us pages): to file an animal nuisance complaint, "Call 911 and have an officer respond," and "Situations requiring immediate attention should be reported by telephone. Call 9-1-1"; callers outside O'ahu reporting an emergency dial (808) 529-3111 and press "0" for a police operator. HPD's animal-nuisance policy makes HPD the lead agency under ROH Chapter 12, encourages a warning for a first offense, and says the Hawaiian Humane Society is also authorized to investigate and enforce; ROH 12-2.13 and 12-2.14 (added by Ord. 26-9) also require the City's animal control contractor to enforce the article and let its authorized officers issue civil notices of violation ($250, then $500, then $1,000 for repeat violations within two years), so the Health Department and HPD pages, which send animal noise to HPD, do not describe the whole channel. The split is not exclusive in law: under HRS 342F-18 "All state and county health authorities and police officers shall enforce this chapter and the rules and orders of the department." A permit to use a sound device on public property is issued by the director of budget and fiscal services on five days' notice with a $5 fee (ROH 41-6.4); the Health Department's FAQ instead links to a City parks "park use permits" page for using such devices on public property. Penalties: ROH 41-6.3, $100 for a first offense, $500 for a second within six months, and $1,000, forfeiture of the sound system (up to $1,000 in value) or a combination totaling $1,000 for a third within one year of the first; ROH 41-7.2 (hospital zones), up to $100, up to 60 days, or both; ROH 12-2.10 (animal nuisance), $250, then $500, then $1,000, up to 30 days in jail, or both, for offenses within two years of earlier ones; HAR 11-46-16, up to $10,000 per offense, each day separate; HRS 711-1101, a violation, or a petty misdemeanor when the person persists after a reasonable warning or request to desist or intends substantial harm or serious inconvenience; HRS 342F-30.8, $50, $100, $200, then $500.

From the city's official pages and code, verified 2026-10-01. 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. Honolulu 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 Honolulu are Machinery 10 p.m.–7 a.m. (45 dBA homes); loud building 7–6 weekdays, 9–6 Sat, not Sun/holidays. The Honolulu 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 Honolulu in general? The Honolulu 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 Honolulu?

Machinery and construction go to the State: per health.hawaii.gov, Indoor and Radiological Health Branch, "Noise Section" page, the section responds to regulated excessive-noise complaints (construction, industrial and agricultural activities and stationary mechanical equipment); contact the Noise Section at 99-945 Halawa Valley Street, 'Aiea, HI 96701, phone (808) 586-4700, fax (808) 586-5838, email doh.irhb@doh.hawaii.gov.

What are the quiet hours in Honolulu?

Machinery 10 p.m.–7 a.m. (45 dBA homes); loud building 7–6 weekdays, 9–6 Sat, not Sun/holidays. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Honolulu noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Honolulu?

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 Honolulu?

Honolulu 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.