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How to file a noise complaint in St. Paul

Last updated: October 1, 2026

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

Official text: Saint Paul Legislative Code, Title XXVIII "Miscellaneous Offenses," Chapter 293 "Noise Regulations": 293.01 definitions (subd. 11 adopts by reference, under Minn. Stat. § 471.62, the definitions in Minnesota Pollution Control Agency noise rule 7030.0020), 293.02 noise as a public nuisance (general standard, noisy assembly, animals, amplified sound, motor vehicles including the MPCA motor-vehicle limits in 7030.1000 through 7030.1600, penalties), 293.03 reserved, 293.04 railroad locomotives sounding whistles, 293.05 exhaust, 293.06 domestic power tools, 293.07 noise source limitations (Table 1, construction and demolition, exemptions), 293.08 administration and enforcement, 293.09 amplified sound permits, 293.10 variances. History notes include Ord. No. 16915 (5-20-82), C.F. No. 02-653 (8-14-02, which replaced 293.02 and renumbered the chapter), Ord 23-60 (12-13-23, which amended 293.01, 293.02 and 293.04 through 293.10 and is the earliest note on the current 293.09), Ord 24-10 (4-24-24) and Ord. No. 25-69 (11-19-25, the World Junior Hockey Championship exception in 293.02(d)). The Municode edition is codified through Ordinance No. 26-26, adopted May 13, 2026 (Supp. No. 133, Update 1). Text read on Municode (the City's code host) on 2026-10-01..

Where to file in St. Paul

Per stpaul.gov, Department of Safety and Inspections page "Noise and sound-level limits in Saint Paul": "Call the City of Saint Paul Information and Complaint line at 651-266-8989 Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., to report noise that may be louder than what is permitted"; the complaint is entered anonymously, reviewed by DSI staff, and the page calls this option best for noise from events or repeated violations from one property. Or call the Saint Paul Police Department's non-emergency line at 651-291-1111, "monitored 24 hours a day"; barking dogs go to Saint Paul Animal Control at 651-266-1100 during business hours (651-291-1111 after hours), and illegal or dangerous activity to 911. Under Sec. 293.08 the Police Department has primary responsibility for enforcing 293.02 through 293.08, DSI enforces the permits it issues and the variances the Council grants (limited to issuing orders and revoking or denying future permits or variances), and Parks and Recreation issues and enforces amplified sound permits on parks property. Amplified sound permits cost $138 per event, and the applicant must show it has notified its district council, and DSI notices adjacent properties within a 300-foot radius (293.09(a)(5)); sound level variances are granted by City Council resolution after a public hearing with mailed notice to owners within 300 feet (293.10). Unless the chapter provides otherwise, a violation of any section is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both, and each day is a separate offense (293.02(f)).

From the city's official pages and code, verified 2026-10-01. 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. St. Paul 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 St. Paul are 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (55 dBA L10 residential); loud power tools barred the same hours. The St. Paul 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 St. Paul in general? The St. Paul 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 St. Paul?

Per stpaul.gov, Department of Safety and Inspections page "Noise and sound-level limits in Saint Paul": "Call the City of Saint Paul Information and Complaint line at 651-266-8989 Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., to report noise that may be louder than what is permitted"; the complaint is entered anonymously, reviewed by DSI staff, and the page calls this option best for noise from events or repeated violations from one property.

What are the quiet hours in St. Paul?

10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (55 dBA L10 residential); loud power tools barred the same hours. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the St. Paul noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in St. Paul?

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 St. Paul?

St. Paul 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.