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How to file a noise complaint in Louisville

Last updated: August 11, 2026

Official text: Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government, Code of Ordinances, Title IX: General Regulations, Chapter 99: Noise, hosted by American Legal Publishing. The code's currency statement reads: "Local legislation current through Ordinances passed by the Council and approved by the Mayor as of May 20, 2026." Read in full 11 August 2026. Section 99.01 gives the definitions that carry the whole ordinance, including PLAINLY AUDIBLE ("distinctly heard by a person with normal hearing") and UNREASONABLY LOUD, HARSH, or EXCESSIVE NOISE (manufactured noise plainly audible at 50 feet). Section 99.02(A) is the general prohibition; 99.02(B)(1) through (7) list seven non-exclusive examples: horns sounded for an unreasonable period, vehicle radios and stereos, sound-reproducing devices played louder than necessary for those voluntarily in the room, chamber or vehicle, unmuffled vehicle exhaust, loading and unloading, mobile advertising loudspeakers, and portable generators over 70 dBA. Section 99.03(A) lists the nine factors used to judge a violation and 99.03(B) lists thirteen exemptions, which is where the construction, landscaping and refuse-collection hour windows live. Section 99.98 is severability and 99.99 sets the civil penalty tiers and the Code Enforcement Board process. Amendment history as printed: 99.01 traces to 1994 Jeff. Code § 98.01 (Jeff. Ord. 14-1993; Lou. Metro Am. Ord. No. 212-2003); 99.02 to § 98.02 and 99.03 to § 98.03, both last amended by Lou. Metro Am. Ord. No. 186-2019, approved 12-2-2019, effective 5-30-2020; 99.98 to 1994 Jeff. Code § 10.07 (Jeff. Ord. 36-1994); 99.99 to § 98.04, last amended by Lou. Metro Am. Ord. No. 37-2005, approved 3-16-2005. Only 99.02 and 99.03 carry the 2019 amendment. Related provisions outside Chapter 99: section 91.001 (animal NUISANCE definition, which is where barking dogs are handled) and the Louisville-Jefferson County Land Development Code sections 4.1.4 (noise, reserved) and 4.1.6 (operating-hour limits near residential property), and the use-specific decibel standards at 4.2.5(B), 4.2.37(C), 4.2.64(G) and 5.1.7(E)(5), the LDC being a separate code on the same host..

Where to file in Louisville

Noise complaints go to the Louisville Metro Police Department, not to 311. LMPD's public FAQ (lmpd.gov/FAQ.aspx?QID=69) says: "To report a noise complaint, please call your Louisville Metro Police Department at 502-574-7111 or 502-574-2111," and a companion FAQ gives the same two numbers for a noisy neighbour with a loud television, stereo or radio, adding that a loud party is best resolved by the officers assigned to the area. An officer who confirms the noise issues a citation under Chapter 99; because 99.99(A) makes it a civil offence, the case is heard by the Code Enforcement Board rather than a criminal court, and under 99.99(C) the person cited can pay the minimum civil penalty within seven days or request a hearing before the Board. Barking dogs and other animal noise are not a Chapter 99 matter: LMPD's SOP 12.24 states that animal complaints such as loud barking are not a violation of the noise ordinance and should be referred to Louisville Metro Animal Services, reachable at (502) 473-7387 (473-PETS), under the section 91.001 nuisance definition. Metro311 (dial 311, or 502-574-5000) is the general non-emergency service-request line for other metro issues, not for noise.

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. Louisville enforces mostly by audibility, so the log is the main evidence, but a reading shows how loud it really was. The free online decibel meter runs in your browser and records nothing.
3. Check the rule. Quiet hours in Louisville are No blanket quiet hours (audibility test applies 24 h). The Louisville 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 Louisville in general? The Louisville 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 Louisville?

Noise complaints go to the Louisville Metro Police Department, not to 311.

What are the quiet hours in Louisville?

No blanket quiet hours (audibility test applies 24 h). The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Louisville noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Louisville?

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 Louisville?

Louisville enforces mostly by whether the sound is plainly audible at a set distance, 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.