Noise complaints › Wichita

How to file a noise complaint in Wichita

Last updated: September 20, 2026

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

Official text: Code of the City of Wichita, Chapter 5.63 "Noise Nuisances," created by Ordinance No. 52-810 (passed 9-16-2025, published 9-19-2025, effective on publication), which repealed the former Chapter 7.41 and rewrote Section 11.60.240 (mufflers and loud vehicles): 5.63.010 loud and unnecessary noise prohibited (subsection (a) the standard, (b) enumerated nuisances including music, construction, loading and parties, (c) the decibel defense, (d) exemptions), 5.63.020 classification and measurement of noise, 5.63.030 excessive noise levels (the zone table, background noise, Old Town District), 5.63.040 exceptions, 5.63.050–5.63.070 sound-amplification authorization, review and appeal, 5.63.080 enforcement, 5.63.090 penalty. Read as the adopted ordinance on Municode (the City's code host; listed under adopted ordinances not yet codified) on 2026-09-20..

Where to file in Wichita

Per wichita.gov (Police): the Wichita Police Department's number is 316-268-4111 (Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m.), emergencies 9-1-1; the WPD case desk takes reports by phone at 316-268-4221 and the City's "Report an Issue" portal logs non-emergency service requests. Sec. 5.63.080 gives enforcement power to all law enforcement officers plus deputies of the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (construction noise) and authorized Public Works and Utilities personnel, and 5.63.010(b)(8) lets an officer order everyone at a noisy party to disperse and requires the resident to cooperate in abating it. Penalty: a misdemeanor of up to $1,000 and six months, each day a separate offense (5.63.090); a loud vehicle under 11.60.240(c) carries a fine of $250 to $2,500.

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

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. Wichita 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 Wichita are 10:00 p.m. – 8:00 a.m. (50 dBA residential); construction 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.. The Wichita 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 Wichita in general? The Wichita 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 Wichita?

Per wichita.gov (Police): the Wichita Police Department's number is 316-268-4111 (Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m.), emergencies 9-1-1; the WPD case desk takes reports by phone at 316-268-4221 and the City's "Report an Issue" portal logs non-emergency service requests.

What are the quiet hours in Wichita?

10:00 p.m. – 8:00 a.m. (50 dBA residential); construction 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.. The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Wichita noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Wichita?

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 Wichita?

Wichita 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.