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How to file a noise complaint in Indianapolis

Last updated: August 11, 2026

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

Official text: Revised Code of the Consolidated City and County (Indianapolis / Marion County, Indiana), Title II - Public Order and Safety, Chapter 391 - Nuisances, Article III - Noise: § 391-301 (public policy and content-neutrality clause), § 391-302 (Unlawful noises — subsection (a) defines "unreasonable noise", (b) is the general prohibition, (c)(1)-(14) enumerate specific acts including horns, sound devices and the 10 p.m.-7 a.m. plainly-audible test, yelling, animals, steam whistles, engines and blowers, defective vehicles, loading and trash collection, construction 7 p.m.-7 a.m., quiet zones at 50 feet, metal hauling, buses and rail cars, pile drivers, and vendor vehicles with the 115-decibel cap, and (d) sets penalties), § 391-303 (reserved — repealed by G.O. 30, 2006, § 2, passed Feb. 13, 2006). Amendment history shown on the sections themselves: § 391-301 (Code 1975, § 18-1; G.O. 30, 2006, § 1); § 391-302 (Code 1975, § 18-2; G.O. 3, 2002, § 5; G.O. 30, 2006, § 1; G.O. 63, 2009, § 16; G.O. 41, 2016, § 2) — i.e. the noise article has not been amended since 2016. Related provisions elsewhere in the same code: Chapter 391 Article V, §§ 391-501 to 391-506 (aircraft used for noncommercial sound broadcasts); Chapter 441, § 441-111 (zones of quiet); Chapter 611, § 611-102 (mufflers required; db(A) standards measured at 50 feet), §§ 611-501 to 611-503 (vending-vehicle audible advertising, 100-decibel cap); Chapter 531, § 531-204 (animals causing nuisance); Chapter 811, § 811-312 (prolonged externally sounding alarms); zoning Chapters 742-743, §§ 742-206 and 743-306 (mining district lot-line limits and airblast table, and drive-through speaker limit); Chapter 102, § 102-3(2) (geographic meaning of "city", excluded cities). Version checked: Supplement 47, codified through Ordinance No. 39, 2026 — confirmed against the code's own Supplement History Table, whose last row is "39, 2026 / Included / 47"..

Where to file in Indianapolis

For noise happening right now, call the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) non-emergency line at 317-327-3811 (staffed 24/7; dial 911 only if there is an emergency). Marion County residents can also dial 311 for non-emergency city services. Enforcement of Chapter 391 is a police/ordinance-violation matter: § 391-302(d) routes the first violation in any twelve-month period to the ordinance violations bureau under Chapter 103, and § 391-203 gives abatement authority to the division of construction and business services, the fire department and IMPD. (Note: § 441-111(a)(4) places enforcement on the police only for the quiet-zone provisions of that section — it is not a general noise-enforcement clause.) For after-hours construction noise and questions about whether a 7 p.m.-7 a.m. work permit was granted, contact the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services, the agency that issues those permits under § 391-302(c)(9); general intake is the Mayor's Action Center / Indy 311 at 317-327-4622 (8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.) or online at request.indy.gov (confirmed live; it redirects to request.indy.gov/citizen/s/). Barking-dog complaints under § 531-204 go to Indianapolis Animal Care Services via the same Mayor's Action Center intake.

From the city's official pages and code, verified 2026-08-11. 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. Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis are 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (construction and pile drivers: 7:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.). The Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis in general? The Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis?

For noise happening right now, call the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) non-emergency line at 317-327-3811 (staffed 24/7; dial 911 only if there is an emergency).

What are the quiet hours in Indianapolis?

10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (construction and pile drivers: 7:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.). The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Indianapolis noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Indianapolis?

Only if there is danger, a threat or a crime in progress. For ongoing noise use 311 or the non-emergency police line; repeated calls build an official record tied to the address, which is what code enforcement acts on.

What evidence helps a noise complaint in Indianapolis?

Indianapolis 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.