How to file a noise complaint in St. Petersburg

Last updated: October 5, 2026

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

St. Petersburg noise complaint at a glance
Quiet hours	11 p.m. – 8 a.m. for music and sound devices; midnight Fri, Sat and pre-holiday for some uses
How it is enforced	Audibility, no general decibel limit
Emergencies	911
Ordinance	St. Petersburg City Code

Official text: St. Petersburg City Code, Chapter 11 "Environmental Protection," Article III "Noise Pollution": Division 1 "Generally," Secs. 11-47 (definitions), 11-48 (scope), 11-49 (exemptions), 11-50 (penalty), 11-51 (noise disturbances prohibited), 11-52 (noise sensitive zones), 11-53 (loud and raucous noises enumerated), 11-54 (sound levels by receiving land use), 11-55 (tampering); Division 2 "Administration and Enforcement," Secs. 11-84 (waivers), 11-85 (special variances), 11-86 (decisions final), 11-87 (violation of conditions) (Ord. No. 2002-F, 9-27-1990; amended by Ord. Nos. 454-G and 455-G, 12-21-2000; 682-G, 9-16-2004; 756-G, 10-6-2005; 880-G, 6-19-2008; 1030-G, 9-22-2011; 73-H, 6-6-2013; 94-H, 11-25-2013; 173-H, 6-4-2015; 216-H, 3-3-2016; and 369-H, 5-16-2019); with Sec. 8-7 (construction days and hours, Ord. No. 907-G, 1-8-2009), Sec. 1-7 (general penalty), Secs. 9-62 to 9-64 (chronic nuisance property) and Appendix A (schedule of fines). Text read on Municode (the City's code host; "Codified through Ordinance No. 635-H, adopted May 14, 2026. (Supp. No. 55, Update 1)") on 2026-10-05..

Where to file in St. Petersburg

Noise goes to the police. The City's "Who to Call" list (a 2017 PDF that stpete.org's Report a Code Violation page tells residents to consult before making a report) lists Noise under "St. Petersburg Police, 727-893-7780 (non-emergency)" and Barking Dogs under "Animal Services -Pinellas County 727-582-2600". The St. Petersburg Police Department site prints "Non-emergency 727-893-7780" and "Non-Emergency: (727) 893-7780", with 911 for emergencies. Other code violations can be reported to Codes Compliance online through SeeClickFix St. Pete (seeclickfix.com/st-petersburg) or at 727-893-7373; since July 1, 2021 Florida law requires a code complainant's full name and residential address, and the City says it cannot investigate anonymous complaints. The Police Department's 2025 Annual Report says its Legal Division reviews all city code noise violations that result in a written warning or a notice to appear on a weekly basis, and that by the end of 2025, 22 properties were issued written warnings and 6 were issued noise ordinance violations. Waivers (Sec. 11-84) and special variances for events (Sec. 11-85) are requested in writing from the POD, "the person officially designated by the Mayor to perform the duties described in that portion of the Code" (Sec. 1-2). Sources: https://www.stpete.org/residents/community/report_a_code_violation.php, https://www.stpete.org/Residents/codes/docs/whotocall.pdf, https://police.stpete.org/ and https://police.stpete.org/docs/annualReportDepartment2025.pdf.

From the city's official pages and code, verified 2026-10-05. 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. St. Petersburg enforces mostly by audibility, so the log is the main evidence, but a reading shows how loud it really was. The free noise log runs in your browser, records nothing, and saves a dated report.
Check the rule. Quiet hours in St. Petersburg are 11 p.m. – 8 a.m. for music and sound devices; midnight Fri, Sat and pre-holiday for some uses. The St. Petersburg 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.

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. Petersburg in general? The St. Petersburg 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. Petersburg?

Noise goes to the police.

What are the quiet hours in St. Petersburg?

11 p.m. – 8 a.m. for music and sound devices; midnight Fri, Sat and pre-holiday for some uses. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the St. Petersburg noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in St. Petersburg?

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. Petersburg?

St. Petersburg enforces mostly by whether the sound is plainly audible at a set distance, so a log of dates, times, durations and where you could hear it from matters more than a meter reading, though a reading still helps.

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.