How to file a noise complaint in Phoenix

Last updated: August 11, 2026

Phoenix noise complaint at a glance
Quiet hours	11:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (emphasis window, not an absolute cutoff)
How it is enforced	Decibel limits for some sources, audibility for others
Emergencies	911
Ordinance	Phoenix City Code

Official text: Phoenix City Code, Chapter 23 (Morals and Conduct), Article I (Offenses against Public Peace), Division 2 (Nuisances and Noise), Secs. 23-11 through 23-17.1. Sec. 23-12 is the general prohibition on "unreasonably loud, disturbing and unnecessary noise"; Sec. 23-13 bans noise detrimental to life, health or the public peace; Sec. 23-14 enumerates, non-exclusively, the noises that violate the article, including horns, radios and instruments, yelling, pets, unmuffled exhaust, building construction hours, street excavation, noise near schools, hospitals, churches and courts, and vehicle loudspeakers; Sec. 23-15 lists exemptions; Sec. 23-17 requires quiet near hospitals. Related provisions: Sec. 23-3 (disturbing the peace), Sec. 2-22 (police response cost recovery for loud parties), Sec. 8-2 (barking dogs), Sec. 36-69 (unnecessary vehicle noise), Sec. 10-167(F) (55 dB cap on mobile food vendor amplified music), Sec. 5C-18 (55 dB cap on small wireless facilities), and use-specific dB conditions in the Zoning Ordinance (Secs. 622, 623, 624, 626, 637, 652, 659, 1203, 1306). Code current through Ordinance G-7524, passed June 17, 2026..

Where to file in Phoenix

For an in-progress noise problem such as a loud party, music, or a barking dog, call the Phoenix Police Department non-emergency line at 602-262-6151 (911 only for emergencies). For after-hours construction noise, call the Planning and Development Department's on-call inspector line at 602-262-7456: inspectors respond within two hours, they only investigate construction projects that require a permit under the Phoenix Building Construction Code, they first research whether the project holds an Extended Construction Work Hours permit, and the complainant must provide contact information for a call back or the complaint will not be investigated. Phoenix.gov directs noise complaints that do not meet those criteria back to the police non-emergency line at 602-262-6151. Loud party and event response fees under Sec. 2-22 are assessed by the Police Department; the city publishes the Public Records and Services Bureau at 602-262-7803 for questions, and a fee may be appealed within ten days of receipt of notice to a hearing officer designated by the City Manager.

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

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. Phoenix sets measured limits, so a reading near the limit is direct evidence. The free online decibel meter runs in your browser and records nothing.
Check the rule. Quiet hours in Phoenix are 11:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (emphasis window, not an absolute cutoff). The Phoenix 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 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 Phoenix in general? The Phoenix 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 Phoenix?

For an in-progress noise problem such as a loud party, music, or a barking dog, call the Phoenix Police Department non-emergency line at 602-262-6151 (911 only for emergencies).

What are the quiet hours in Phoenix?

11:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (emphasis window, not an absolute cutoff). The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Phoenix noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Phoenix?

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 Phoenix?

Phoenix 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.