How to file a noise complaint in Reno

Last updated: October 5, 2026

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

Reno noise complaint at a glance
Quiet hours	No citywide curfew; 10 p.m. – 7 a.m. 49 dB limit for nonresidential sites near homes
How it is enforced	Decibel limits for some sources, audibility for others
Emergencies	911
Ordinance	Reno Municipal Code (RMC)

Official text: Reno Municipal Code (RMC), Administrative Code, Title 8 "Public Peace, Safety and Morals": § 8.04.010 "Noises to attract attention" (Code 1966, § 11.12.380; Ord. No. 5653, § 1, 2-9-05); § 8.12.020 "Disturbing the peace", subsection d (Ord. No. 5047, 9-28-99; Ord. No. 5387, 11-5-02); § 8.22.030 definition of public nuisance, item (26), and the chronic-nuisance definition, with § 8.22.240 penalties (Ord. No. 6448, 1-10-18); § 8.22.300 social host liability (disruptive gatherings); § 8.23.085 park sound amplifying equipment (Ord. No. 5652, 2-9-05); § 8.06.055(h) audible alarms; Title 6 § 6.06.280 zones of quiet and § 6.06.290 amplified noise from motor vehicles (Ord. No. 6153, 6-9-10; Ord. No. 6267, 11-7-12; Ord. No. 6316, 1-29-14); § 1.04.010 general penalty; § 1.05.025 authority to inspect. Annexation and Land Development Code (Title 18), Chapter 18.04 Article 14 "Residential Adjacency": § 18.04.1402 applicability and § 18.04.1407 Noise (the article's sections carry the history note Ord. No. 6692, § 1(Exh. A), 1-8-25; the editor's note says that ordinance repealed the former 18.04.1407, which dealt with spillover lighting, and renumbered 18.04.1408-18.04.1413 as 18.04.1407-18.04.1412, so the noise section was formerly 18.04.1408); § 18.03.405 small wind turbines. Text read on Municode, the City's code host. Administrative Code banner: "Codified through Ordinance No. 6740, adopted May 6, 2026. (Supp. No. 65, Update 1)"; Land Development Code banner: "Codified through Ordinance No. 6732, adopted January 14, 2025. (Supp. No. 5, Update 1)". None of the uncodified ordinances in Municode's ordinance bank for either code (Nos. 6733-6735, 6746, 6749: rezonings and a solid-waste franchise-fee repeal) touches noise..

Where to file in Reno

Reno Police: the City's Public Safety Dispatch "Important Numbers" page lists "Non-Emergency Communications" at 775-334-COPS (2677) and names "Noise Disturbances" among its uses, for situations that are not personally or immediately threatening but need police notified or an officer to respond; 9-1-1 is for emergencies. For the non-incorporated areas of Washoe County, the same page directs residents to the Washoe County Sheriff's Office non-emergency number, 775-785-WCSO (9276). The Important Numbers page sends "Code Violations" to Reno Direct at 775-334-INFO (4636); the Reno Direct page, which calls it the City's non-emergency service center, prints the number as 775-334-4636, weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed daily for lunch, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.), with online reporting at https://service.reno.gov/ and an online chat. The Code Enforcement page links "Report a Code Violation or Request an Investigation" to the same online service, lists office hours of Monday to Friday, 9:00am-4:00pm, gives 775-334-2229 as the main Code Enforcement message line for inquiring about an open case, and refers animal-related questions to Washoe County Regional Animal Services at 775-353-8900; a search of the Reno Municipal Code on Municode finds no barking-dog provision. An enforcement official's inspection may include "the use of a sound level measurement device to measure noise disturbances" (RMC 1.05.025). Sources: https://www.reno.gov/public-safety/public-safety-dispatch/important-numbers.php and https://www.reno.gov/community/reno-direct/ and https://www.reno.gov/government/departments/code-enforcement/.

From the city's official pages and code, verified 2026-10-05. 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. Reno 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.
Check the rule. Quiet hours in Reno are No citywide curfew; 10 p.m. – 7 a.m. 49 dB limit for nonresidential sites near homes. The Reno 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 Reno in general? The Reno 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 Reno?

What are the quiet hours in Reno?

No citywide curfew; 10 p.m. – 7 a.m. 49 dB limit for nonresidential sites near homes. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Reno noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Reno?

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 Reno?

Reno 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.