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How to file a noise complaint in Los Angeles

Last updated: August 11, 2026

Official text: Los Angeles Municipal Code, Chapter XI "Noise Regulation" (added by Ord. No. 144,331, eff. 3/2/73; substantially amended by Ord. No. 156,363, eff. 3/29/82), Secs. 111.00 through 116.01. Article 1 (Secs. 111.00-111.05) covers the declaration of policy, definitions, sound level measurement procedure, the presumed minimum ambient noise levels in Table II, nuisance/injunction remedies and the split of enforcement duties between LAPD and Building and Safety. Article 2 (Secs. 112.01-112.06) covers special noise sources: 112.01 radios, television sets and similar devices (150-foot audibility test and the +5 dB test), 112.02 air conditioning, refrigeration, heating, pumping and filtering equipment, 112.03 construction noise (cross-reference to Sec. 41.40), 112.04 powered equipment intended for repetitive use in residential areas including the 10 p.m.-7 a.m. ban and the total gas leaf blower ban, 112.05 the 75/75/65 dB(A)-at-50-feet caps on powered equipment and powered hand tools, and 112.06 the 95 dB(A) limit and warning sign for places of public entertainment. Article 3 (Sec. 113.01) covers rubbish and garbage collection hours. Article 4 (Secs. 114.01-114.07) covers vehicle repairs, motor driven vehicles, loading and unloading, audible signalling devices, commercial food vendor advertising devices, vehicle theft alarm systems and audible status indicators. Article 5 (Secs. 115.01-115.03) covers amplified sound, sound trucks and unenclosed tour buses. Article 6 (Sec. 116.01) is the loud, unnecessary and unusual noise catch-all. Related provisions sit in Chapter IV: Sec. 41.40 (noise due to construction and excavation work, hours and Police Commission variance), Sec. 41.42 (music reproducing devices, 2 a.m.-5 a.m.), Sec. 41.57 (loud and raucous noise prohibited), Sec. 41.58 (loud party second response fee) and Sec. 41.58.1 (loud or unruly gatherings, added by Ord. No. 185,451, eff. 4/15/18)..

Where to file in Los Angeles

For noise happening right now (loud parties, amplified music, stereos, car noise, nightclub bass), call your local LAPD station or the LAPD non-emergency line at 1-877-ASK-LAPD (1-877-275-5273); LAMC Sec. 111.05(b) gives the Police Department enforcement authority over Secs. 41.32, 41.40, 41.42, 41.44, 41.57, 63.51(m), 112.01, 112.04, 112.05, 112.06, 113.01, 114.01 through 114.05, 115.02 through 115.03, and 116.01. LAPD's Noise Enforcement Team (Commission Investigation Division) specifically handles early or late construction, early or late deliveries, early or late trash pick-up, and music from nightclubs; reach it at 213-996-1250 or email a NET complaint form to noise@lapd.online. Fixed mechanical equipment such as a neighbour's air conditioner, pool pump or heater goes to the Department of Building and Safety at 213-252-3039, which Sec. 111.05(a) makes responsible for Secs. 112.02 and 112.04(c). Gas leaf blowers are routed by LAPD to the Bureau of Street Services at 213-847-6000 (leaf blower complaint line 1-800-996-CITY). Barking dogs go to Animal Regulations through your local animal shelter. For anything non-urgent, or to log a written record, use MyLA311 by calling 311 (or 213-473-3231 from outside the city), at myla311.lacity.gov, or via the MyLA311 app. Call 911 only if there is a safety threat, not for noise alone.

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. Los Angeles sets measured limits, so a reading near the limit is direct evidence. The free online decibel meter runs in your browser and records nothing.
3. Check the rule. Quiet hours in Los Angeles are 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (construction: 9:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m., no Sundays except your own home). The Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles in general? The 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?

For noise happening right now (loud parties, amplified music, stereos, car noise, nightclub bass), call your local LAPD station or the LAPD non-emergency line at 1-877-ASK-LAPD (1-877-275-5273); LAMC Sec. 111.05(b) gives the Police Department enforcement authority over Secs. 41.32, 41.40, 41.42, 41.44, 41.57, 63.51(m), 112.01, 112.04, 112.05, 112.06, 113.01, 114.01 through 114.05, 115.02 through 115.03, and 116.01.

What are the quiet hours in Los Angeles?

10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (construction: 9:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m., no Sundays except your own home). The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Los Angeles noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Los Angeles?

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 Los Angeles?

Los Angeles 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.