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Noise complaints › Sacramento County
How to file a noise complaint in Sacramento County
In unincorporated Sacramento County, call the Sacramento Sheriff's Department non-emergency dispatch at (916) 874-5115 for any noise outside daytime hours or not related to a business, and call 911 for an emergency.
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Documenting this? A dated log of when the noise started, when it stopped and how loud it got is what Sacramento County acts on. Log noise levels for a complaint — free, runs in your browser, records no audio.
| Quiet hours | 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (lower limits; 45 dBA between units) |
|---|---|
| How it is enforced | Decibel limits for some noise, other tests for the rest |
| Emergencies | 911 |
| Ordinance | Sacramento County Code Chapter 6.68 (Noise Control) |
Where to file in Sacramento County
In unincorporated Sacramento County, call the Sacramento Sheriff's Department non-emergency dispatch at (916) 874-5115 for any noise outside daytime hours or not related to a business, and call 911 for an emergency. The County's noise page says "To report a noise issue outside of daytime hours or not related to a business, please contact Sacramento Sheriff's Department Non-Emergency Dispatch at (916) 874-5115." The Sheriff's TDD non-emergency line is 916-874-7128. For daytime noise from a commercial or industrial operation, the same page says to call 311. County pages disagree on 311's hours: the noise page gives Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., while the Code Enforcement page gives 3-1-1 or 916-875-4311 Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding County holidays. Do not count on either set of hours. The Environmental Management Department investigates "complaints of ongoing and aggravated noise which require monitoring with sound level meters or which are of a habitual or mechanical nature such as pool pumps, mechanical equipment, and HVAC systems at commercial enterprises or residential sites." It answers with a letter to the owner or occupant of the property suspected to be the source, and if the noise goes on, you file another complaint. Under 6.68.230, on a complaint from any person the Sheriff, the County Health Officer or their representatives may investigate and, if they believe the chapter was violated, serve a written notice stating the dBA readings, time and place, which may order a fix by a set time. If the fix is not made, a conviction makes the violation an infraction, and each day is a separate offense. Chapter 6.68 states no dollar amount, but 6.60.020 sets the fine for every violation of Title 6, which includes this chapter: up to $250 for a first violation, up to $500 for a second violation of the same provision within one year, and up to $1,500 for each further violation of it within one year. That section applies in place of the County's general misdemeanor penalty in 1.01.190 (up to $1,000, six months in jail, or both). Barking dogs go to Animal Care: report online or call 311 (916-875-4311; Citrus Heights residents 916-725-7387). Animal Care says it replies in 3 to 5 business days, and the County's 311 answer says the dog owner is notified by mail and advises keeping a written log of times and duration. Inside a city, the city handles noise: the County's page says incorporated cities "have separate authority to address nuisance noise" and points residents of Sacramento, Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, Folsom, Galt and Isleton to their own police or city offices. For the City of Sacramento use the Sacramento page. Sources: https://ecode360.com/44028995 (Chapter 6.60), https://emd.saccounty.gov/us/en/environmental-health/noise-control-program.html, https://www.sacsheriff.com/pages/contacts.php, https://development.saccounty.gov/us/en/code-enforcement/report-a-violation.html, https://animalcare.saccounty.gov/us/en/animal-issues/barking-dogs.html and https://311.saccounty.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/20/~/what-do-i-do-if-my-neighbors-dog-wont-stop-barking.
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 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. Sacramento County sets measured limits for some noise, so a reading can help, and a dated log counts either way. The free noise log runs in your browser, records nothing, and saves a dated report.
- Check the rule. Quiet hours in Sacramento County: 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (lower limits; 45 dBA between units). The Sacramento 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 Sacramento 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 Sacramento County?
In unincorporated Sacramento County, call the Sacramento Sheriff's Department non-emergency dispatch at (916) 874-5115 for any noise outside daytime hours or not related to a business, and call 911 for an emergency.
What are the quiet hours in Sacramento County?
10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (lower limits; 45 dBA between units). The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Sacramento County noise ordinance page.
Should I call 911 for noise in Sacramento County?
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 Sacramento County?
Sacramento County uses decibel limits for some noise and other tests for the rest, so keep a dated log and take readings when you can; the rules above say which applies.
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.
