Noise complaints › Lincoln

How to file a noise complaint in Lincoln

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

Official text: Lincoln Municipal Code, Title 8 Health and Sanitation, Chapter 8.24 "Noise Control Ordinance", §§ 8.24.010 to 8.24.180 (Ord. 12722, Oct. 29, 1979; Ord. 13499, Dec. 6, 1982; Ord. 15558, May 14, 1990; § 8.24.080 Ord. 19824, Jan. 28, 2013; § 8.24.140 Ord. 20859, Jan. 6, 2020; § 8.24.150 last amended by Ord. 20075, Aug. 18, 2014): 8.24.010 citation, 8.24.020 policy, 8.24.030 purpose, 8.24.040 scope, 8.24.050 definitions, 8.24.060 administration, 8.24.070 duties of health officer, 8.24.080 periodic reports, 8.24.090 noise disturbances prohibited (Tables 1 to 3), 8.24.100 motorized vehicles and motorcycles on public right-of-way (Table 4), 8.24.110 off public right-of-way (Table 5), 8.24.120 racing events, 8.24.130 rail carrier operation, 8.24.140 exception, 8.24.150 variances, 8.24.160 abatement orders (Tables 8 and 9), 8.24.170 penalty (Table 10), 8.24.180 additional remedy, injunction; with § 10.14.460 "Unnecessary Noise From Motor Vehicle" (Ord. 19749, Aug. 6, 2012), § 6.04.435 "Animal Noise; Disturbing the Peace Prohibited" (Ord. 19417, July 26, 2010) and § 9.20.050 "Disturbing the Peace" (Ord. 20707, Sept. 17, 2018). Text read on enCodePlus (online.encodeplus.com/regs/lincoln-ne), the host the City Attorney's Office page on lincoln.ne.gov links as "Lincoln Municipal Code"; the viewer shows no supplement or currency date. Read on 2026-10-05..

Where to file in Lincoln

The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department administers the noise control program (§ 8.24.060), and "The health officer or a police officer of the City of Lincoln" enforces it (§ 8.24.180). The City's UPLNK service-request system ("a free app hosted on the SeeClickFix platform", per lincoln.ne.gov) has a "Health - Noise Complaints - (non-police)" request type whose instructions say: "DO NOT use this complaint form to report excessive noise from vehicles, racing, parties, arguments, or other sources of noise in residential areas after 10:00 pm, as those should be reported to the Lincoln Police Department at 402-441-6000"; barking dogs go to Animal Control at 402-441-7900; "Please call 402-441-8040 to report activities occurring during business hours (8:00 am - 4:30 pm, Mon-Fri, excluding holidays)"; the form "is not actively monitored", the Health Department may need to measure sound at the complainant's address, and the City "cannot guarantee your anonymity". The Lincoln Police Department directory lists "Non-Emergency (402) 441-6000". The UPLNK page says UPLNK is not for emergencies (call 9-1-1) and that City staff respond to requests during regular business hours. The Health Department's Air Quality Section, (402) 441-8040, also takes noise variance applications (form v. 09/2026, variance fee $180.00 per variance). Sources: https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/Payments-Services/UPLNK, https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/City/Departments/Police/Directory and https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/files/sharedassets/public/v/9/health-dept/environmental/air-quality-forms-amp-apps/noisevarianceapplication.pdf (the UPLNK request-type wording was read on the City's UPLNK portal at seeclickfix.com).

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. Lincoln 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 Lincoln are 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (lower dB limits); construction 10 p.m. – 6 a.m.. The Lincoln 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 Lincoln in general? The Lincoln 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 Lincoln?

The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department administers the noise control program (§ 8.24.060), and "The health officer or a police officer of the City of Lincoln" enforces it (§ 8.24.180).

What are the quiet hours in Lincoln?

10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (lower dB limits); construction 10 p.m. – 6 a.m.. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Lincoln noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Lincoln?

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 Lincoln?

Lincoln 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.