How to file a noise complaint in Miami-Dade County

Last updated: November 4, 2026

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

Miami-Dade County noise complaint at a glance
Quiet hours	11 p.m. to 7 a.m. sound devices; 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. construction; 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. power tools
How it is enforced	Audibility, no general decibel limit
Emergencies	911
Ordinance	Code of Miami-Dade County Sec. 21-28

Official text: Code of Miami-Dade County Sec. 21-28, with Secs. 21-28.1, 21-27.3 and 1-5 and the 2026 amendment in File 260997. Code of Miami-Dade County on Municode, "Codified through Ordinance No. 26-59, enacted July 21, 2026. (Supp. No. 136)", online content updated September 23, 2026: Chapter 21 "Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions", Article IV "Miscellaneous", Sec. 21-28 "Noises; unnecessary and excessive prohibited" (Ord. No. 58-5, § 21.07, 2-18-58; Ord. No. 96-130, § 1, 9-10-96; Ord. No. 10-52, § 5, 9-21-10; Ord. No. 22-13, § 2, 2-1-22; Ord. No. 22-50, § 1, 5-3-22; Ord. No. 23-32, § 2, 5-2-23; Ord. No. 23-88, § 2, 10-3-23); Sec. 21-28.1 "Open-air concerts, musical broadcasts, etc." (Ord. No. 80-84, § 1, 7-17-80); Sec. 21-27.3 "Railroad train whistle and horn noise pollution prohibited" (Ord. No. 81-56, § 1, 5-19-81, through Ord. No. 86-89, § 1, 11-18-86); Chapter 1 "General Provisions", Sec. 1-5 (Ord. No. 79-26, § 1, 4-3-79; Ord. No. 99-54, § 1, 5-25-99; Ord. No. 20-66, § 5, 7-16-20). Board of County Commissioners Legislative File 260997, Reference 26-25, status "Adopted as amended", final action 5/5/2026, agenda item 7B, which amends Sec. 21-28(4)(b), is not yet shown in the Municode text or history, and leaves its Effective Date field blank; File 231023 (Ordinance No. 23-32) for the construction rule. Text read 2026-11-04..

Where to file in Miami-Dade County

In unincorporated Miami-Dade County, call the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office non-emergency line, 305-Sheriff (305-743-7433), for loud music, a party or other noise happening now, and 911 for an emergency. That is the number on the Sheriff's Office home page and contact page, which do not mention noise. Two County pages give a different number for noise: the Environmental Complaints page lists noise under the Miami-Dade Police Department at 305-476-5423, and the Report Animal Nuisance page calls 305-476-5423 both the Police Department's and the Sheriff's Office's non-emergency line. Nothing read for this page says that either number has been retired, so the Sheriff's Office's own number comes first here. For barking dogs or noisy birds, the Report Animal Nuisance page says officers from the Neighborhood Resource Unit respond, that an officer who hears the noise firsthand may issue a $100 fine on the spot, that an unpaid fine may result in a lien on the property, and that a homeowner who rents out a property may be held responsible for a tenant's noisy pets. The Environmental Complaints page lists noise among the matters it sends elsewhere, and the Neighborhood Compliance page does not list noise among its topics. No County page read here names a line for night construction noise. Inside a city, Sec. 21-28(1)(b) leaves enforcement to the municipality, so call that city's police or code office (see the Miami and Hialeah pages); the Sheriff's Office home page also lists municipal district stations for Miami Lakes (305-827-4020), Cutler Bay (305-234-4237) and Palmetto Bay (305-278-4000). The code's penalties are a fine of up to $500, up to 60 days in the county jail, or both, or fines under Chapter 8CC, remedies under Sec. 1-5, or completing the County's Diversion Program (Sec. 21-28(3)). Sec. 1-5 allows an injunction or other court order, makes a violator liable for damage to the County and its enforcement costs, and lets a court impose a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per offense, each day a separate offense (Sec. 1-5(c), (d)). It does not permit or require the County to bring a case on behalf of a private person (Sec. 1-5(f)). Chapter 8CC was not part of the text read for this page, so its fine amounts are not given here. Sources: https://www.mdso.com/, https://www.mdso.com/contact-sheriffs-office, https://www.miamidade.gov/global/environment/code-compliance/environmental-complaints.page, https://www.miamidade.gov/global/service.page?Mduid_service=ser159923889745380 and https://www.miamidade.gov/global/economy/neighborhood-compliance/home.page.

From the county's official pages and code, verified 2026-11-04. Numbers and departments change; if a line does not answer, the county's main switchboard 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. Miami-Dade County enforces mostly by audibility, 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.
Check the rule. Quiet hours in Miami-Dade County: 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. sound devices; 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. construction; 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. power tools. The Miami-Dade 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

Noise reports often wait behind urgent calls, so a first call may not end 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 it nearby? The Miami 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 Miami-Dade County?

What are the quiet hours in Miami-Dade County?

11 p.m. to 7 a.m. sound devices; 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. construction; 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. power tools. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Miami-Dade County noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Miami-Dade 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 Miami-Dade County?

Miami-Dade County enforces mostly by audibility and disturbance rules rather than a decibel number, 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.