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How to file a noise complaint in Minneapolis

Last updated: September 20, 2026

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

Official text: Minneapolis Code of Ordinances, Title 15 "Offenses—Miscellaneous," Chapter 389 "Noise": Article I (Generally), Secs. 389.05 (declaration), 389.10 (findings), 389.15 (incorporation by reference of Minnesota Rules Chapter 7030 and the MPCA "A Guide to Noise Control in Minnesota"), 389.30 (definitions, including "noisy or unruly assembly," "points of habitation" and "residentially used area"), 389.40 (enforcement by the commissioner of health and chief of police), 389.45 (measurement procedures), 389.50 (noise prohibited), 389.60 (what constitutes violation; exemptions), 389.65 (prohibited acts: noisy assemblies, horns, unmaintained vehicles, amplified sound from vehicles, amplified sound, alarms, solid waste collection, sweeping and plowing, noise-control devices), 389.80 (outdoor implements), 389.105 (permits for sound amplifying equipment), 389.120 (penalties), 389.125 (nuisance), 389.130 (waiver); Article II (Vehicular Noise Control), Secs. 389.140–389.210 (Table A light-vehicle and Table B heavy-vehicle limits by posted speed and distance, mufflers, Industrial Living Overlay interior levels). Sec. 389.60 last amended by Ord. No. 2025-024 (5-15-25) and Sec. 389.105 by Ord. No. 2025-028 (7-10-25). State limits from Minnesota Rules 7030.0040 subp. 2 and definitions in 7030.0020 (revisor.mn.gov). Text read on Municode (the City's code host, version Sep 11, 2026) on 2026-09-20..

Where to file in Minneapolis

Per minneapolismn.gov, "Noise Complaint": contact Minneapolis 311 by phone (311 or 612-673-3000, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday–Friday), by email, or through the 311 mobile app at any hour; for a loud vehicle audio system, the page says "Call 911"; commercial garbage-hauler complaints go to Business Licenses & Consumer Services, 612-673-2080. The same page states the rules in plain terms: "Sound from motor vehicle sound systems or audio systems clearly audible from beyond 50 feet is illegal," power lawnmowers, trimmers, saws and leaf blowers are allowed "from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.," and "Outdoor amplified sound that can be heard above conversation from beyond 50 feet likely requires a sound permit." It advises: "Unless you're comfortable doing so, do not approach neighbors with your noise complaints." Under Sec. 389.40 the commissioner of health and the chief of police enforce the chapter; the Health Department handles meter measurements and sound permits, and the Police Department issues the noisy-or-unruly-assembly notices to owners and landlords (Sec. 389.65(a)(1)b).

From the city's official pages and code, verified 2026-09-20. 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. Minneapolis 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 Minneapolis are 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (night limits); parties from 10 p.m.; yard tools until 10 p.m.. The Minneapolis 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 Minneapolis in general? The Minneapolis 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 Minneapolis?

Per minneapolismn.gov, "Noise Complaint": contact Minneapolis 311 by phone (311 or 612-673-3000, 7 a.m.–7 p.m.

What are the quiet hours in Minneapolis?

10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (night limits); parties from 10 p.m.; yard tools until 10 p.m.. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Minneapolis noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Minneapolis?

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 Minneapolis?

Minneapolis 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.