Noise ordinances › Albuquerque, NM

Albuquerque noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: October 1, 2026

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Quiet hours in Albuquerque

Nighttime is 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. and daytime 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (9-9-2); at night each cell of Table 1 (A-weighted) and Table 2 (C-weighted) in 9-9-4 drops 5 dB, so home-to-home noise goes from 55 to 50 dB(A). Construction: except for work authorized by a governmental body or agency, equipment used in construction, repair, alteration, excavation, grading or demolition may not be operated on or within 500 feet of any noise-sensitive property (an occupied dwelling, school, hospital, religious institution, child-care or adult-care facility or similar) on Sundays or holidays or between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. without first obtaining a Temporary Construction Noise Permit, and at any hour subsection (D)(1) bars operating it "With sound-control devices less effective than those provided on the original equipment; and without using noise mitigation measures" (9-9-4(D)); holidays are the federal holidays (9-9-2). Power equipment used outdoors (sweepers, power mowers, leaf blowers, rototillers, power saws and the like) may not be run within 500 feet of noise-sensitive property during the nighttime or between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. on a Sunday or holiday; golf-course mowers are exempt from that rule (9-9-7(B)). Unless a permit says otherwise, permitted amplified sound or construction noise may not continue past 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday or past 12:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday (9-9-5(E)). Two exceptions run on the daytime clock: reasonable sounds from occasional indoor or outdoor gatherings, public dances, shows and band performances, and municipal refuse collection, are outside the limits only during the daytime (9-9-8). The Criminal Code's unreasonable-noise offense (12-2-4) contains no hours.

Decibel limits

Yes. Sec. 9-9-4(A), Table 1 (A-weighted), daytime / nighttime, by receptor premises: a residential receptor may receive 55 / 50 dB(A) from a residential source, and 55 / 50 dB(A) indoor or 60 / 55 dB(A) outdoor from a commercial, Downtown Arts and Entertainment Focus Area, industrial/manufacturing or public source; a commercial or Downtown Arts and Entertainment Focus Area receptor 65 / 60 dB(A) from any source; an industrial/manufacturing or public receptor 75 / 70 dB(A) from any source. Sec. 9-9-4(B), Table 2 (C-weighted), repeats the grid 5 dB higher: residential 60 / 55 dB(C) (60 / 55 indoor or 65 / 60 outdoor from commercial or industrial sources), commercial 70 / 65, industrial and public 80 / 75. Residential, commercial and industrial mean the zoning classification of the premises, not its actual use (9-9-2). Measurement (9-9-3): an approved sound-level meter (ANSI S1.4-1983 Type 1 or 2, or IEC 651), read as LAeq or LCeq; residential, commercial, Downtown Arts and Entertainment Focus Area and industrial receptors are measured from inside the structure on the receptor premises, in a location reasonably assumed to affect people; in a residence, in sleeping or living areas with windows open about 25% if the home has no mechanical ventilation and closed if it does (mechanical ventilation is a forced-air system with supply fan and ductwork, which may include air conditioning, a furnace or a swamp cooler); where the receptor is in a residential zoning district and the source in a commercial or industrial/manufacturing district, outside within 25 feet of the side of the house nearest the source; public premises away from reflecting walls, with a windscreen when appropriate. Duration test: the sound must "persistently or continuously" exceed the limit, defined as exceeding it in each of the ten one-minute intervals of a 10-minute period (9-9-2). Stationary machinery, fans and air conditioners are held to the same tables (9-9-7(A)), and the Mayor may request an acoustical review, which may require a noise mitigation plan, before a building permit is approved (9-9-10). Excluded from the limits (9-9-8): aircraft and airports, construction vibrations, emergency or public-improvement construction, school bands and school events, daytime occasional gatherings and band performances, unamplified human voices, permitted fireworks, mass transit, protests and legally permitted parades, mosquito control, pre-existing mechanical equipment, daytime municipal refuse collection, stadiums, and sounds governed by other federal, state or municipal law. Animals are judged without a meter: a pet may not persistently or continuously bark, howl or make noise common to its species, meaning noise discerned in each minute of a 10-minute period (9-9-4(C), 9-9-2). Without a meter for any source, § 12-2-4 makes "unreasonably loud, disturbing or unnecessary noise" an offense, listing horns, radios and instruments that disturb people in a dwelling, motel, hotel, hospital or sanitorium, noisy vehicles, attention-getting loudspeakers without a Mayor's permit, and noise beside hospitals, schools, churches and courts, "including but not limited to" those examples.

What the ordinance actually says

Sec. 9-9-4(A): "Except as otherwise provided in this article, no person shall make or continue, cause to be made or continued, or allow to be made or continued, any sound that persistently or continuously results in an exceedance of the following sound level limits using an approved sound-level meter measuring decibels on the A-Weighted scale."

Sec. 9-9-2: "PERSISTENTLY OR CONTINUOUSLY. A 10-minute period during which any sound is discerned and that sound exceeds the applicable sound limits in each of the ten one-minute intervals of such period. In the case of animal noise, it means a 10-minute period during which animal noise is discerned in each of the ten one-minute intervals therein."

Sec. 9-9-3(A): "Except as provided in division (C) below, Residential, Commercial, Downtown Arts and Entertainment Focus Area, and Industrial/Manufacturing properties are to be measured from inside the Structure located on the receptor premises. Any indoor noise measurements for compliance purposes should be taken in a location which could be reasonably assumed to affect one or more persons. For residential receptor premises, inside noise level measurements are performed in sleeping or living areas with windows opened to approximately 25% of their maximum in residences without mechanical ventilation and with windows closed for residences with mechanical ventilation."

Sec. 9-9-3(C): "In the case where the receptor premises is located in a residential zoning district and the source premises is located in a commercial or industrial/ manufacturing zoning district, measurements shall be measured outside within 25 feet from any side of the residential structure which is nearest to the source premises."

Sec. 9-9-2: "RESIDENTIAL, OFFICE/COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL/MANUFACTURING. These terms shall be as used in the Integrated Development Ordinance (Chapter 14, Article 16), and when used to describe a receptor or source premises, the terms refer to the particular zoning classification of the receptor or source premises and not the actual use of such premises."

Sec. 9-9-4(D): "Except for work authorized by a governmental body or agency, no person shall, on or within 500 feet of any noise- sensitive property, operate or cause to be operated any equipment used in construction, repair, alteration, excavation, grading or demolition work on buildings, structures, streets, alleys or appurtenances thereto: (1) With sound-control devices less effective than those provided on the original equipment; and without using noise mitigation measures. (2) On Sundays or holidays or between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., without first obtaining a Temporary Construction Noise Permit as described in § 9-9-5."

Sec. 9-9-11(A): "Each act in violation of this article shall constitute a public nuisance and a separate civil violation. Civil violations of this article shall subject the owner of the offending property to the following penalties for offenses during any 36-consecutive-month period: (1) a civil fine of $250 for the first offense; (2) a civil fine of $500 for the second offense; (3) a civil fine of $1,000 for the third and subsequent offenses. Each calendar day during which the civil violation occurs shall constitute a separate and distinct offense."

Sec. 12-2-4: "Unreasonable noise consists of creating any unreasonably loud, disturbing or unnecessary noise of such character, intensity or duration as to be detrimental to the repose, life or health of others, including but not limited to, the following specific noises if created in violation of this section:"

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Albuquerque Code of Ordinances, Chapter 9 "Health, Safety and Sanitation," Article 9 "Noise Control" (cited as the "Noise Control Ordinance"), §§ 9-9-1 through 9-9-12 ('74 Code, § 6-22; Ord. 21-1975, as amended by Ord. 30-1981, Ord. 9-2001, Ord. 5-2002, Ord. 42-2007, Ord. 2017-002 and Ord. 2017-025; §§ 9-9-6 and 9-9-11 last amended by Ord. 2023-015): 9-9-2 definitions (daytime, nighttime, "persistently or continuously," zoning-based premises), 9-9-3 decibel measurement criteria, 9-9-4 general noise (Table 1 A-weighted, Table 2 C-weighted, animals, construction), 9-9-5 temporary permits for amplified sound or construction noise, 9-9-6 variances, 9-9-7 machinery, equipment, fans and air conditioners (power-equipment hours), 9-9-8 exceptions and exclusions, 9-9-9 administration, 9-9-10 noise mitigation plans, 9-9-11 civil violations and penalties, 9-9-12 other ordinances preserved; Chapter 12 "Criminal Code," § 12-2-4 "Unreasonable noise" ('74 Code, § 12-1-2-4; Ord. 96-1973; Am. Ord. 78-1978), punished under § 12-1-99 and the general penalty in § 1-1-99. Text read on American Legal Publishing (the City's code host) on 2026-10-01.). Verified against the live code on 2026-10-01. Ordinances get amended — before acting on a specific provision, check the linked official code. This page is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.

How to file a noise complaint in Albuquerque

Per cabq.gov, Environmental Health "Noise Permits" page (section "How to File a Noise Complaint"): during business hours call 311; for after-hours complaints (after 5 p.m. on weekdays, weekends and holidays) or anything needing immediate help, call the Albuquerque Police Department non-emergency number, 505-242-COPS (2677). Give a description of the noise, your contact information, the source location, and the time, date and duration; the page notes that measurements need not be taken at the moment of the complaint and that Environmental Health can usually evaluate it during business hours. The "Frequently Asked Questions About Noise" page routes car alarms, loud car stereos, mufflers, motorcycles and idling trucks to APD at 505-242-COPS (2677), barking dogs to the online form or 311, bars and restaurants with live music to 311, and aircraft to the Albuquerque Sunport at 505-842-2007, suggests free mediation through the City's Office of Diversity and Human Rights for neighbor music, and warns that anonymous complaints allow "little enforcement action" because measurements must occur on the affected property. Environmental Health Department: 505-768-2738, or dial 311 (505-768-2000); noise permits are free and applied for through ABQ-PLAN, questions to 505-768-4234. Penalties under Article 9 are civil and fall on the owner of the offending property: $250 for a first offense, $500 for a second and $1,000 for a third or later offense within 36 consecutive months, each calendar day a separate offense, with a hearing available on written request within ten days of the mailed Notice of Violation and an injunction available to the Mayor (9-9-11). The Criminal Code offense (12-2-4) is prosecuted under § 1-1-99: a fine of up to $500, up to 90 days in jail, or both.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Albuquerque. For the general playbook — documenting the problem, talking to a landlord or HOA, when 311 beats 911 — see the noise complaints guide.

Worth knowing

(1) The meter goes inside your home, not to the property line: residential complaints are measured in a bedroom or living area (9-9-3(A)), with windows about a quarter open only if the home has no mechanical ventilation, and mechanical ventilation is defined as a forced-air system with supply fan and ductwork that may include air conditioning, a furnace or a swamp cooler, so a home with such a system is measured with windows shut. For a home, the meter goes outdoors (within 25 feet of the house) when the source is in a commercial or industrial/manufacturing zoning district (9-9-3(C)). (2) One loud minute is not a violation of the general rule: 9-9-4 requires the sound to exceed the limit in each of the ten one-minute intervals of a 10-minute period (9-9-2), and a parallel ten-minute test (animal noise discerned in each minute) applies to barking, although 9-9-4(C) also bars an animal from "otherwise" disturbing the peace and quiet of the city's inhabitants. (3) Limits follow zoning, not use; the City's own noise page puts it as "a home built in a commercial-zoned area would be held to commercial sound limits" (65 / 60 dB(A)). (4) Bass is regulated directly: Table 2 is C-weighted (dB(C)), which weights low frequencies more heavily than the A scale. (5) The fine goes to the property owner: Article 9's civil penalties "subject the owner of the offending property" to $250, $500 and then $1,000 within 36 months, and the notice is mailed to the registered owner, so a landlord can be fined for noise made by a tenant (9-9-11). Subsection (D) of the same section, on unpaid fines, refers back to the penalty provisions of "§ 9-9-11" itself. (6) Two parallel laws: the civil, metered Noise Control Ordinance enforced by the Environmental Health Department, and the criminal "unreasonable noise" offense in § 12-2-4 (up to $500 and 90 days), which § 9-9-12 expressly leaves in force along with the animal-noise, alarm, horn and muffler rules. (7) Unamplified human voices are excluded from Article 9's limits altogether (9-9-8), as are stadiums, mass transit, protests and legally permitted parades, and reasonable daytime sound from occasional gatherings and band performances; § 12-2-4's general clause is not limited to its listed examples. (8) Construction near homes is barred on Sundays and federal holidays and from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. only within 500 feet of noise-sensitive property and only without a permit; Temporary Construction Noise Permits are free, and government-authorized work is outside the rule (9-9-4(D), 9-9-5(B)). The City's FAQ states the rule more broadly ("Construction cannot occur on Sundays, holidays, or after the permitted hours without a construction noise permit"). (9) Within 500 feet of noise-sensitive property, construction equipment may start at 6:00 a.m. without a permit, but outdoor power equipment (mowers, leaf blowers, power saws and other tools for gardening or property repair) must wait until 7:00 a.m., and until 9:00 a.m. on Sundays and holidays (9-9-4(D), 9-9-7(B)). (10) Permitted parties and events get until midnight on Friday and Saturday but must stop at 10:00 p.m. the rest of the week unless the permit says otherwise (9-9-5(E)); per the City's Noise Permits page, permits are not issued for recurring events such as band practice or bars with regular music. (11) There is also a siting rule: new mechanical equipment on commercial property may not be installed on a side adjacent to noise-sensitive property or separated from it only by an alley (roof locations are allowed if the limits are met), and auto-repair garage doors may not be placed on such a side; installations approved before the article took effect are exempt (9-9-7(C), (D)). (12) The FAQ says idling vehicles are not covered by the Noise Ordinance and aircraft are exempt; airport noise goes to the Sunport.

Document it before you report it

Albuquerque's limits are measured numbers, so a reading is direct evidence of how loud it really is. Take a quick reading with the free online decibel meter — it runs in your browser and records nothing — and check how loud your block is on the Albuquerque noise map. For time-stamped measurement history you can show a landlord or code officer, the app keeps a log.