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How to file a noise complaint in San Diego

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

Official text: San Diego Municipal Code, Chapter 5 (Public Safety, Morals and Welfare), Article 9.5 "Noise Abatement and Control," added 9-18-1973 by O-11122 N.S. Six divisions, each published as a separate PDF on the City Clerk's document server. Division 1 General (edition stamp 6-2000): §59.5.0101 purpose and intent, §59.5.0102 definitions, including (a) "Average Sound Level," (i) "Sound Level" (A-weighting, "fast" time averaging) and (l) "Disturbing, Excessive or Offensive Noise." Division 2 Administration (8-2014): §59.5.0201 establishes the Noise Abatement and Control Administrator, §59.5.0202 duties, §59.5.0205 inspection powers and inspection warrants. Division 3 Noise Abatement Contract Compliance (6-2000): §59.5.0301 required noise provisions in City contracts. Division 4 Limits (7-2026): §59.5.0401 sound level limits table by land use and time of day, §59.5.0402 motor vehicles, §59.5.0403 watercraft, §59.5.0404 construction noise, §59.5.0406 refuse vehicles and parking lot sweepers (note: there is no §59.5.0405 — the numbering jumps from 0404 to 0406). Division 5 Public Nuisance Noise (6-2000): §59.5.0501 general prohibitions and the nine factors for judging a violation, §59.5.0502 declared acts (horns; radios/TVs/amplifiers with the plainly-audible prima facie rule and confiscation powers; animals; hospitals, schools, libraries and care facilities; transit buses and trolleys; parks and beaches; leaf blowers), §59.5.0503 burglar alarms. Division 6 Violations and Enforcement (6-2000): §59.5.0601 misdemeanor penalties plus destruction of amplifying equipment after conviction, §59.5.0602 nuisance/injunction remedy, §59.5.0604 manner of enforcement, §59.5.0605 display of permits, §59.5.0606 false statements, §59.5.0607 severability..

Where to file in San Diego

San Diego does NOT use 311. For human-generated noise happening right now — a party, a bar, loud music — call the San Diego Police Department non-emergency line at 619-531-2000 while the noise is occurring. SDPD's noise-complaints page warns that if the noise has stopped by the time officers arrive they cannot take enforcement action unless the complainant is willing to sign a complaint, so be prepared to give your name. IMPORTANT CORRECTION TO A COMMON ASSUMPTION: SDPD states it does not respond to calls about barking dogs. Barking or other animal noise, air conditioners and other fixed equipment, and construction outside permitted hours go instead to the Development Services Department's Building and Land Use Enforcement (BLUE) division — referred to on SDPD's page as Code Enforcement — via a Request for Investigation, or through the City's Get It Done portal and app at getitdone.sandiego.gov. Enforcement authority under the article sits with the Noise Abatement and Control Administrator, defined by §59.5.0201 as the Director of the (now renamed) Neighborhood Code Compliance Department, who may inspect noise-producing devices and premises at any reasonable time and must obtain an inspection warrant if entry is refused (§59.5.0205). The City also refers residents with persistent neighbor disputes to the National Conflict Resolution Center at 619-238-2400 for mediation. Violations are misdemeanors punishable by up to $1,000 and six months in jail, and each day a violation continues is a separate offense.

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 Diego 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 Diego are 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.. The San Diego 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 Diego in general? The San Diego 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 Diego?

San Diego does NOT use 311.

What are the quiet hours in San Diego?

10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the San Diego noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in San Diego?

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 Diego?

San Diego 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.