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How to file a noise complaint in Lakewood

Last updated: November 9, 2026

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

Official text: Lakewood Municipal Code Chapter 9.52 (Noise), the Lakewood noise control ordinance, in Title 9 (Public Peace and Safety), Part V (Offenses Against Public Peace): 9.52.010 Short title, 9.52.020 Declaration of policy, 9.52.030 Definitions (Ord. O-2019-19 §§ 2, 3, 2019; Ord. O-94-33 §§ 32, 33, 1994), 9.52.040 Unlawful to make, 9.52.050 Unlawful noises generally, 9.52.060 Bells and chimes, 9.52.070 Radios, television sets, phonographs and similar devices (Ord. O-94-33 § 34, 1994), 9.52.080 Animals or birds, 9.52.090 Exhausts and mufflers, 9.52.100 Defect in vehicle or load (Ord. O-94-33 § 35, 1994), 9.52.110 Quiet zone, 9.52.120 Dynamic braking devices, 9.52.130 Trash truck loading and unloading (Ord. O-2019-19 § 4, 2019; Ord. O-2001-34 § 5), 9.52.135 Haul route (Ord. O-2019-19 § 5, 2019), 9.52.140 Construction activities (Ord. O-2019-19 § 6, 2019), 9.52.150 Repair or maintenance power equipment (Ord. O-2019-19 § 7, 2019), 9.52.153 Exceptions (Ord. O-2019-19 § 8, 2019), 9.52.155 Temporary exemption from ordinance (Ord. O-2019-19 § 9, 2019; Ord. O-92-4 § 1, 1992), 9.52.160 Amplified sound (Ord. O-2002-16 § 1, 2002), 9.52.170 Application for permit to use sound-amplifying equipment in a motor vehicle, 9.52.190 Permit issuance (Ord. O-2002-16 § 3, 2002). Every section except 9.52.135, 9.52.153 and 9.52.155 also cites Ord. O-86-42 § 1 (part), 1986, and the chapter footnote gives the prior ordinance history as Ords. O-85-13. Penalty: Chapter 1.16 (Penalty for Violations), 1.16.020 Penalties designated (Ord. O-2026-11 § 1, 3-23-2026; Ord. O-2024-1 § 1, 2024; Ord. O-2019-24 § 4, 2019; Ord. O-2017-16 § 2, 2017; Ord. O-2014-3 § 1, 2014). Text read on Municode, the host the City Clerk's City Codes & Laws page names for the online Municipal Code, Supplement 15, online content updated on September 14, 2026, codified through Ordinance No. O-2026-16, adopted April 27, 2026..

Where to file in Lakewood

Call Lakewood's 24/7 non-emergency police dispatch at 303-980-7300, or 911 in an emergency; no City page read today names a separate line for noise complaints. The Police Department's Get In Touch page lists 303-980-7300 as Jeffcom Non-Emergency, and the non-emergency report page says to call it "when you need agents to respond or to contact you by phone." For barking dogs, the City's Barking Dogs page gives Animal Control at 303-987-7173 for general questions and 303-980-7300 to file a formal complaint for an Animal Control Officer. It says to speak with the animal's owner first and adds: "Animal control does not take anonymous complaints." Animal Control needs your full name, address and phone contact information, a detailed description of the animal, the exact address, and the dates, times and duration of the violation, and you must be able to identify the animal. Code Enforcement is at 303-987-7566, but its page lists nuisance and land use topics and does not mention noise. For construction hours, the Public Works handout on work days and hours (dated May 2019) gives 303-987-7500. The City also runs an online request hub, Request Lakewood, which it says is not monitored 24/7. Penalty: Chapter 9.52 has no penalty section of its own, so the general penalty applies: for each offense a fine of not more than $2,650 or imprisonment for not more than 364 days, or both, never more than the maximum sentence Colorado law allows for comparable state offenses (1.16.020(A)). The fine limit is adjusted for inflation on January 1 of each year (1.16.020(A)(1)), and a child convicted of a violation faces the same penalties except imprisonment (1.16.020(D)). Sources: https://www.lakewoodco.gov/Local-Government/Departments/Police/Get-In-Touch, https://www.lakewoodco.gov/Local-Government/Departments/Police/PD-services-permits-registrations/Submit-a-Non-Emergency-Police-Report, https://www.lakewoodco.gov/Local-Government/Departments/Police/Animal-Control-Information/Barking-Dog, https://www.lakewoodco.gov/Local-Government/Departments/Police/Code-Enforcement, https://www.lakewoodco.gov/files/assets/public/v/2/public-works/pdfs/engineering/construction-work-hours.pdf and https://www.lakewoodco.gov/Local-Government/Departments/City-Managers-Office/Communications/Request-Lakewood-service-request-FAQ.

From the city's official pages and code, verified 2026-11-09. Numbers and departments change; if a line does not answer, the city's main switchboard 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. Lakewood has no decibel limit, so the log is the main evidence, but a reading shows how loud it really was. The free noise log runs in your browser, records nothing, and saves a dated report.
3. Check the rule. Quiet hours in Lakewood: 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. (construction, power tools, trash trucks); amplified sound from 10 p.m. The Lakewood 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 Lakewood in general? The Lakewood 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 Lakewood?

Call Lakewood's 24/7 non-emergency police dispatch at 303-980-7300, or 911 in an emergency; no City page read today names a separate line for noise complaints.

What are the quiet hours in Lakewood?

9 p.m. to 7 a.m. (construction, power tools, trash trucks); amplified sound from 10 p.m. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Lakewood noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Lakewood?

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 Lakewood?

Lakewood has no decibel limit: the test is whether the noise is unreasonable, so a log of dates, times, durations and where you could hear it from matters more than a meter reading, though a reading still helps.

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.