How to file a noise complaint in Wilmington

Last updated: November 9, 2026

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

Wilmington noise complaint at a glance
Quiet hours	Midnight to 7 a.m. (lower dB(A) limits; no mowing, power tools or residential trash pickup)
How it is enforced	Decibel limits for some sources, audibility for others
Emergencies	911
Ordinance	Code of Ordinances of the City of Wilmington

Official text: Code of Ordinances of the City of Wilmington, North Carolina (Wilmington City Code), Chapter 6 (Offenses, Miscellaneous), Article II (Noise Control), Secs. 6-26 to 6-37: 6-26 Purpose; 6-27 Scope; 6-28 General prohibition; 6-29 Definitions; 6-30 Specific prohibitions; 6-31 Exceptions; 6-32 Noise violation based on sound level meters; 6-33 Sound level limits by zoning area; 6-34 Noise permits; 6-35 Noise violations not based on sound level meters; 6-36 Owner/occupant responsibility; 6-37 Noise violation appeal process. The editor's note says Ord. No. O-2019-43, § 2, adopted Aug. 20, 2019, repealed the former Article II and enacted a new one; every section's history line cites it (8-20-19), and Secs. 6-28, 6-30, 6-32, 6-34, 6-35 and 6-36 add Ord. No. O-2021-84, § 1(Exh. 2, § 3), 11-16-21. The penalties are in Article I of the same chapter, Sec. 6-1 Penalties and remedies (last history entry Ord. No. O-2021-84, 11-16-21); Sec. 1-3 Penalties, in Chapter 1, says the penalties for each chapter are set out in that chapter. Text read on Municode, version Sep 1, 2026 (current), Supplement 42, codified through Ordinance No. O-2026-31, enacted June 16, 2026, on 2026-11-09..

Where to file in Wilmington

The Wilmington Police Department has primary enforcement responsibility for noise (Sec. 6-27), and its Reporting Crime page gives the non-emergency dispatch number, 910.452.6120, for filing a report about a situation that is not an emergency. New Hanover County's 911 Center page gives the same number, 910-452-6120, for non-emergent situations and names a barking dog as one. The City's Noise Ordinance page lists a Wilmington Police Department contact of 910.343.3609; that page covers the ordinance, permits and appeals and does not say which number to call about noise in progress, and no City page read today names noise on the dispatch line. Police headquarters is at 615 Bess St., 910.343.3600, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For animals, the New Hanover County Sheriff's Animal Services Unit takes complaint calls at 910-798-7500, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and lists barking dogs under public assistance, eighth of ten in its order of priority; the pages read do not say how the unit and the police divide barking complaints inside the city. New Hanover County's Report a Violation page lists the Sheriff's Office (910-798-4200) for noise complaints and sends violation reports within the City of Wilmington to the city's Code Enforcement Services (910-341-3266); inside the city the code gives the Police Department primary enforcement (6-27). What an officer can do: issue a civil citation or enforce any other penalty under the article on finding that a noise disturbance exists, without a meter and without hearing the noise personally, on reliable statements and evidence from complaining witnesses (6-35(a), (b)). Making a noise complaint to harass its subject, knowing or having reason to know that no noise disturbance exists, is itself a violation (6-35(c)). Penalties (Sec. 6-1(b)(2)): a civil penalty of $200 for the first violation on a civil citation within a rolling one-year period; $350 for a second by the same person or business or at the same location within a rolling one-year period of the first; $500 for a third; and $1,000 for a fourth and each later one. From the third violation the penalty also falls on any non-occupant owner of the premises, subject to the owner notice requirements of 6-36. A written warning is not required before a citation and no more than one may be given within a rolling one-year period; a civil penalty not paid within 10 business days brings a $50 delinquency charge; and each separate time an officer responds to the same location to assess a violation is a separate offense with its own penalty. A violation of 6-28, 6-30, 6-32, 6-35 or 6-36 is also a misdemeanor, and a violation of 6-34 (permits) is a civil citation or a misdemeanor, but an officer may arrest for an Article II violation only when the alleged violator refuses to give a name and address, refuses to stop after being issued a civil citation, any person interferes with the officer's enforcement, or an arrest is also being made for other charges (6-1(b)(2)g). A civil penalty can be appealed in writing to the chief of police within 10 calendar days after it is issued, which stays the penalty; a written determination follows within 10 working days of receipt; and that decision can be taken to the Superior Court of New Hanover County within 30 days of the date it was mailed (6-37). Sources: https://www.wilmingtonnc.gov/Connect-With-Us/Codes-Ordinances/Noise-Ordinance, https://www.wilmingtonnc.gov/Public-Safety/Wilmington-Police-Department/Reporting-Crime, https://www.wilmingtonnc.gov/Public-Safety/Wilmington-Police-Department, https://www.nhcgov.com/160/When-Do-I-Call-911, https://www.nhcgov.com/956/Animal-Complaints and https://www.nhcgov.com/535/Report-a-Violation.

From the city's official pages and code, verified 2026-11-09. Numbers and departments change; if a line does not answer, the city's main switchboard 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. Wilmington 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 Wilmington: Midnight to 7 a.m. (lower dB(A) limits; no mowing, power tools or residential trash pickup). The Wilmington 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 Wilmington in general? The Wilmington 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 Wilmington?

What are the quiet hours in Wilmington?

Midnight to 7 a.m. (lower dB(A) limits; no mowing, power tools or residential trash pickup). The full rule, quoted from the code, is on the Wilmington noise ordinance page.

Should I call 911 for noise in Wilmington?

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 Wilmington?

Wilmington 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.