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How to file a noise complaint in San Antonio

Last updated: August 11, 2026

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

Official text: San Antonio, Texas, Code of Ordinances, Chapter 21 (Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions), Article III (Noise). Division 1 (Generally): Sec. 21-51 definitions and standards (A-weighted sound level, Daytime/evening, Impulsive sound, Legal holidays, Leq, Nighttime, Noise nuisance, Sound level, Sound level meter); Sec. 21-52 noise nuisance enumeration (the operating section: (a)(1)-(8) enumerated nuisance acts, (a)(6) construction hours plus the 80 dBA construction cap and the waiver and 300-foot notification regime, (a)(9)-(12) the numeric dB limits by zoning district, (b) Table 1 special noise corrections, (c) River Walk Area corrections); Sec. 21-53 vibration; Sec. 21-54 vehicular mounted sound amplification systems (30-foot audibility test); Sec. 21-55 exceptions (including the 63/70 dBA air-conditioner and pool-equipment allowance at (6)); Sec. 21-56 method of noise measurement (ANSI-standard meter); Sec. 21-57 enforcement (administrative stop orders, seizure of noise-producing property, habitual noise nuisance declarations, animal impoundment); Sec. 21-58 penalties; Sec. 21-59 identification of violator; Sec. 21-60 River Walk standards (72 dBA and 80 dBC); Sec. 21-61 appointment of abatement officers. Division 2 (Quiet Zones): Secs. 21-66 to 21-68 (250-foot quiet zones around schools and hospitals). Division 3 (Party, Gathering, Event): Secs. 21-80 to 21-84 (cost recovery for repeat police responses). Article III was repealed and reenacted by Ord. No. 94706, § 1(Attach. A) (9-13-01); Secs. 21-51 and 21-52 were most recently amended by Ord. No. 2022-02-17-0112, § 1 (2-17-22), the construction-noise amendment. Municode displays VERSION: JUL 7, 2026 (CURRENT)..

Where to file in San Antonio

Call 311, the San Antonio Police Department at (210) 207-7273, or DSD/Code Enforcement at (210) 207-1111, and request that an officer be sent to your location to investigate. The city's own "Noise Nuisance Procedure" one-pager lists exactly those three channels and explains that an investigative report by the responding department is required, and that the details must be tied to a specific date the nuisance occurred, because a criminal case has to be filed for a specific date even if the problem is ongoing. Give the responding officer the frequency and duration of the noise, the time of day, the volume and intensity, a description of the noise (loud music, live band, loud party), a description of how it disturbed or annoyed you (unable to sleep, rest, work, study, or enjoy quiet comfort at home), the name, phone and address of any other witnesses for that date, and whether you have audio recordings or other evidence. The officer forwards the report to the Prosecution office; if there is sufficient evidence the case is filed and the defendant is summoned to Municipal Court, and you must be listed as the complainant and be able to testify at trial. For status, contact the SAPD substation at (210) 207-7410 or Code Enforcement at (210) 207-1111 with the case/report number the responding officer gave you.

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

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. San Antonio 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 San Antonio are 10:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The San Antonio 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 San Antonio in general? The San Antonio 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 San Antonio?

Call 311, the San Antonio Police Department at (210) 207-7273, or DSD/Code Enforcement at (210) 207-1111, and request that an officer be sent to your location to investigate.

What are the quiet hours in San Antonio?

10:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the San Antonio noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in San Antonio?

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 San Antonio?

San Antonio 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.