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Noise complaints › Los Angeles County
How to file a noise complaint in Los Angeles County
Who to call depends on the source. For loud music, parties or other noise from homes in unincorporated areas, Public Health's noise page says local law enforcement is responsible and to call your local police station; in unincorporated areas that is the Los Angeles County Sheriff's station that…
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Documenting this? A dated log of when the noise started, when it stopped and how loud it got is what Los Angeles County acts on. Log noise levels for a complaint — free, runs in your browser, records no audio.
| Quiet hours | 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (lower night limits) |
|---|---|
| How it is enforced | Decibel limits for some sources, audibility for others |
| Emergencies | 911 |
| Ordinance | Los Angeles County Code Chapter 12.08 (Noise Control) |
Where to file in Los Angeles County
Who to call depends on the source. For loud music, parties or other noise from homes in unincorporated areas, Public Health's noise page says local law enforcement is responsible and to call your local police station; in unincorporated areas that is the Los Angeles County Sheriff's station that patrols your area (for example the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Station, (323) 264-4151, which serves East Los Angeles, City Terrace, Belvedere Gardens and other unincorporated communities; Sheriff's Headquarters is (213) 229-1700), and 911 is for emergencies. For noise from a business, construction or demolition in unincorporated Los Angeles County, Public Health says to call (626) 430-5201. Public Health enforces Chapter 12.08 and takes the measurements, and a first violation brings a written notice of violation with a deadline to fix the problem (12.08.650, 12.08.660). Public Health's wildfire rebuilding flyers give (800) 700-9995, Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., for construction noise complaints and (888) 700-9995 for questions; after a complaint an inspector visits the worksite, gives the builder a notice if the noise is too loud, and returns to check. Barking dogs and other animal noise go to the County Department of Animal Care and Control: the complaint must be in writing, signed under penalty of perjury, and give the complainant's name, address and phone number, the animal owner's address and the dates and approximate times of the noise, and the owner can be cited if the noise is not abated within 10 days after a warning (10.40.060, 10.08.100). Inside a city, the city's own rules apply: Public Health lists the LAPD Noise Enforcement Team, (213) 996-1250, for the City of Los Angeles and says to call your city for other cities. Sources: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/eh/safety/noise.htm, http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/eh/docs/safety/noise-control-resident-impacted-wildfires-en.pdf, https://lasd.org/stations/ and https://lasd.org/east-los-angeles/.
From the county's official pages and code, verified 2026-10-27. Numbers and departments change; if a line does not answer, the county's main switchboard or 311 can redirect you.
Before you call
- 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.
- Measure it if you can. Los Angeles County 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.
- Check the rule. Quiet hours in Los Angeles County: 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (lower night limits). The Los Angeles County noise ordinance page quotes the code verbatim, so you can cite the section.
- Try the source once. A neighbour, landlord or venue manager often fixes it faster than the county 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 county 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 Los Angeles County in general? The East Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles County?
Who to call depends on the source.
What are the quiet hours in Los Angeles County?
10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (lower night limits). The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Los Angeles County noise ordinance page.
Should I call 911 for noise in Los Angeles County?
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 Los Angeles County?
Los Angeles County 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.
