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How to file a noise complaint in Raleigh

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 Raleigh acts on. Log noise levels for a complaint — free, runs in your browser, records no audio.

Official text: Raleigh City Code, Part 12 "Licensing and Regulation," Chapter 5 "Noise," Secs. 12-5001 through 12-5011, enacted in full by Ord. No. (2024) 586 (adopted 1-2-24, replacing the 1977–2022 chapter) and amended by Ord. No. (2025) 701 and (2025) 703 (1-7-25) and Ord. No. (2025) 802 (10-21-25): 12-5001 definitions (daytime and nighttime hours, "plainly audible," "reasonable person," "unreasonable noise," "verified noise violation," Glenwood South District), 12-5002 scope, 12-5003 general prohibitions, 12-5004 exceptions, 12-5005 measurement, 12-5006 amplified sound at commercial establishments, 12-5007 prohibited noises (a)–(q), 12-5008 permits for additional amplification, 12-5009 amplified sound in the Glenwood South District, 12-5010 failure to reduce noise after a citation, 12-5011 penalties. Text read on Municode (the City's code host) on 2026-09-20..

Where to file in Raleigh

Per raleighnc.gov, "Public Nuisances": "The City of Raleigh Police Department is responsible for addressing all noise complaints," and residents are directed to call the police at 919-829-1911 to file a complaint; other nuisance complaints go through the Ask Raleigh portal (ask.raleighnc.gov) or Code Enforcement at 919-996-2444. The City's "Amplified Sound" service page covers the commercial amplified-sound permits under Sec. 12-5008. Sec. 12-5011(a)(2) authorizes the Police Department and the City Manager's designees to issue civil penalty citations, and Sec. 12-5006(b) requires any establishment whose amplified sound is audible off-premises to give the City the names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of the people responsible for its sound, which the City publishes.

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. Raleigh 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 Raleigh are 11:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.; construction 7:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.; venues 55 dB(A) after 10/11 p.m.. The Raleigh 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 Raleigh in general? The Raleigh 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 Raleigh?

Per raleighnc.gov, "Public Nuisances": "The City of Raleigh Police Department is responsible for addressing all noise complaints," and residents are directed to call the police at 919-829-1911 to file a complaint; other nuisance complaints go through the Ask Raleigh portal (ask.raleighnc.gov) or Code Enforcement at 919-996-2444.

What are the quiet hours in Raleigh?

11:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.; construction 7:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.; venues 55 dB(A) after 10/11 p.m.. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Raleigh noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Raleigh?

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 Raleigh?

Raleigh 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.