Decibel Shield
Noise complaints › San Francisco
How to file a noise complaint in San Francisco
Per sf.gov "Report a noise problem": call 3-1-1 (415-701-2311 from outside San Francisco), use 311 online or the SF311 app, and you receive a tracking number. Residential sound, a street performance unaffiliated with a business, car music or an encampment: SFPD non-emergency, 415-553-0123.
Last updated:
Documenting this? A dated log of when the noise started, when it stopped and how loud it got is what San Francisco acts on. Log noise levels for a complaint — free, runs in your browser, records no audio.
| Quiet hours | 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (45 dBA indoors); construction 8:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. |
|---|---|
| How it is enforced | Measured decibel limits |
| Emergencies | 911 |
| Ordinance | San Francisco Police Code |
Where to file in San Francisco
Per sf.gov "Report a noise problem": call 3-1-1 (415-701-2311 from outside San Francisco), use 311 online or the SF311 app, and you receive a tracking number. Residential sound, a street performance unaffiliated with a business, car music or an encampment: SFPD non-emergency, 415-553-0123. Construction on private property and building equipment such as HVAC: Department of Building Inspection (three-day and ten-day response targets); construction on public property: Public Works; establishments with live entertainment: the Entertainment Commission, through the separate sf.gov form "Report a business or event for a sound issue"; tour buses, delivery or service trucks, and garbage or recycling collection each have their own 311 category. Noise in an apartment building may be the landlord's responsibility (Rent Board), and persistent disputes between neighbors or with a business are referred to Community Boards mediation. The ordinance assigns enforcement the same way: Sec. 2916 lets the Director of Public Health enforce Secs. 2904, 2909 and 2912, Building Inspection and Public Works enforce the construction sections, the Entertainment Commission's Executive Director enforce venue standards, and the Chief of Police enforce Sec. 2909 and "noise created by humans or any other noise source not specifically assigned" to another department.
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
- 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. San Francisco 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 San Francisco are 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (45 dBA indoors); construction 8:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.. The San Francisco 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.
Measure it now, from where you hear it. Stop the meter to save a dated report you can attach to the 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 Francisco in general? The San Francisco 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 Francisco?
Per sf.gov "Report a noise problem": call 3-1-1 (415-701-2311 from outside San Francisco), use 311 online or the SF311 app, and you receive a tracking number.
What are the quiet hours in San Francisco?
10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (45 dBA indoors); construction 8:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the San Francisco noise ordinance page.
Should I call 911 for noise in San Francisco?
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 Francisco?
San Francisco enforces numeric decibel limits, so a time-stamped reading near the limit is direct evidence. Keep a log of dates, times and durations as well.
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.
