Noise ordinances › Buffalo, NY

Buffalo noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: October 5, 2026

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Quiet hours in Buffalo

Chapter 293 has no single quiet-hours clause. Two listed acts carry fixed night hours of 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., every day of the week: construction work, building, excavating, hoisting, grading, demolishing, dredging or pneumatic hammering that causes sound which annoys or disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities in a residential real property zone, except emergency work of public service utilities or work under a special permit from the Commissioner of Public Works (§ 293-4I), and lawn maintenance devices such as mowers, edgers, trimmers and power-driven hedge shears causing such sound in a residential real property zone, golf courses excepted (§ 293-4L). The definitions set "DAY" as the hours between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., "except Fridays and Saturdays, when the evening hours shall be 11:00 p.m." (§ 293-2), and the only rule that turns on day or night is the one for amplified sound projected out of a building, which applies at any time in residential areas but only "during night hours" in commercial areas (§ 293-4B); the code does not define night hours separately. Outdoor use of radios, speakers and other sound-reproduction devices (§ 293-4A), yelling and shouting (§ 293-4G), animals (§ 293-4N) and the catch-all (§ 293-4O) apply at any time of day.

Decibel limits

There is no fixed decibel number in Chapter 293. The measured route is relative to the background: under § 293-3, unreasonable noise may be established by the specific acts in § 293-4 "or by the measurements exceeding the limitations set forth in § 293-5", and § 293-5A requires the subject noise to exceed ambient noise by five decibels or more in any octave band to be declared excessive or unreasonable. Measurement (§ 293-6) uses an ANSI S1.4-1971 sound-level meter and octave band analyzer, taken, except where impractical, from the specific position of the complainant at the premises the complaint comes from, at least three feet above the ground and three feet from walls or other reflective surfaces, on slow response where the noise permits; the octave-band curve is plotted on the ISO noise-rating chart, and where a detailed analysis cannot be made an A-scale reading minus eight decibels gives the noise-rating number. § 293-5B says sound projected from one use district into another "having a lower noise-level limit" may not exceed the receiving district's limits, but neither Chapter 293 nor the Green Code sets district noise-level limits; Green Code § 7.6.5 only says no use may generate a sound level that violates Chapter 293. The Green Code adds a few relative, source-specific limits: wind farms and wind energy systems may not exceed five dBA over ambient sound at the closest neighboring inhabited dwelling (for a wind energy system, at that dwelling's closest property line) existing at the time of application (§§ 6.1.9.E, 6.2.2.AN), except during short-term events such as utility outages and storms; drive-through menu-board audio may not exceed five decibels over ambient sound measured from the nearest property line (§ 9.4.1.L); and home occupations may not create sound above the ambient level for more than 10 minutes in any hour between 7:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M., and none detectable off the property at other times (§ 6.2.2.T). Every other test in Chapter 293 is audibility or annoyance: amplified sound projected from inside a structure and audible more than 100 feet from the real property boundary line (§ 293-4B), sound from a device within 500 feet of a hospital, nursing home or similar facility that can be heard inside the building and interferes with its functions or disturbs or annoys patients, where signs mark the zone (§ 293-4F), and annoyance of a reasonable person of normal sensitivities for the remaining acts.

What the ordinance actually says

§ 293-3: "It shall be unlawful for any person to make, continue, cause to be made or permit to be made any unreasonable noise within the geographical boundaries of the City of Buffalo or within those areas over which the City has jurisdiction. The determination as to the existence of unreasonable noise may be established either by the specific acts considered to be unreasonable noise enumerated within § 293-4 or by the measurements exceeding the limitations set forth in § 293-5."

§ 293-5A: "The subject noise must exceed ambient noise by five decibels or more in any octave band to be declared excessive or unreasonable."

§ 293-4B: "The use of any sound-reproduction device inside a structure in such a manner as to result in the sound or any part thereof from such apparatus to be projected therefrom outside of the structure or out of doors at any time within the residential areas or during night hours in the commercial areas whereby the sound can be audibly heard more than 100 feet from the real property boundary line from which the noise emanates. Sound which crosses any real property boundary shall be deemed to be projected within the meaning of this chapter."

§ 293-4A: "The use of any sound-reproduction device outside a structure either on private property or on a public right-of-way or public space at any time within the residential areas or within the commercial areas which, by causing noise, annoys or disturbs the quiet, comfort or repose of a reasonable person of normal sensitivities."

§ 293-2, DAY: "The hours between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., except Fridays and Saturdays, when the evening hours shall be 11:00 p.m."

§ 293-4I(1): "The performance or engagement in construction work, building, excavating, hoisting, grading, demolishing, dredging or pneumatic hammering within the limits of the City between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. that causes sound which annoys or disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities in a residential real property zone, except for emergency work of public service utilities or as otherwise provided in Subsection I(b) herein."

§ 293-6B: "Except where impractical, sound measurements shall be made from the specific position of the complainant at the premises from which noise complaints are received and shall be made at a height of at least three feet above the ground and three feet away from walls, barriers, obstructions or other sound-reflective surfaces."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Code of the City of Buffalo, Part II General Legislation, Chapter 293 "Noise" (adopted by the Common Council 7-31-1990, effective 8-13-1990): § 293-1 Findings; intent, § 293-2 Definitions, § 293-3 Unreasonable noise prohibited, § 293-4 Specific acts constituting unreasonable noise (Subsection M amended 11-26-2002, effective 12-6-2002), § 293-5 Additional guidelines to determine unreasonable noise (amended 10-2-1990, effective 10-11-1990), § 293-6 Methods of measurement, § 293-7 Penalty for offenses (added 11-12-1996, effective 11-25-1996; amended 12-12-2006, effective 12-26-2006); with Chapter 137 "Code Enforcement", Article I, §§ 137-2 and 137-7 Schedule of fines and penalties (last amended 2-18-2025), Chapter 295 "Nuisance Party" (adopted 11-29-2016) and Chapter 496 Unified Development Ordinance (Buffalo Green Code; PDF marked Supp 18, Feb 2025) §§ 6.1.9.E, 6.2.2.T, 6.2.2.AN, 7.6.5 and 9.4.1.L. Text read on eCode360 (General Code, the City's code host; "Includes legislation through 03-31-2026", and none of the uncodified new laws listed there affects Chapter 293) on 2026-10-05.). Verified against the live code on 2026-10-05. 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 Buffalo

Buffalo 311 (Division of Citizen Services): "Call 311 within City of Buffalo limits, or dial 716-851-4890"; 311 "provides residents with fast, centralized access to city services. Register complaints, get information, and access non-emergency police services," and every case gets a reference number. Representatives answer from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday; after hours callers can leave a message that an operator enters the next business day. Requests can also be filed through the Buffalo 311 Self-Service Portal, which lists an "Excessive Noise" request under Public Safety, Police Department, or by email to 311@city-buffalo.com, and reports can be made anonymously by app, online or by phone (anonymous reports cannot be tracked online). The 311 FAQ reserves 911 for emergencies such as house fires and crimes in progress, and the 311 page notes "you must contact the Buffalo Police to file a police report"; the Buffalo Police Department's site lists Buffalo Police Headquarters, 68 Court Street, phone 716-851-4444. Under § 293-7B a Buffalo police officer who observes a violation firsthand may arrest without a warrant or issue an appearance ticket, and § 137-2 lists Chapter 293 among the chapters whose violations the Parking Violations Bureau hears and determines. Sources: https://www.buffalony.gov/463/Contact-311, https://www.buffalony.gov/m/faq?cat=28, https://www.buffalony.gov/1668/BUFFALO311-SELF-SERVICE-PORTAL and https://www.bpdny.org/.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Buffalo. 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) Buffalo's meter test is relative, not absolute: a reading must beat the ambient level by 5 dB or more in some octave band, measured where the complainant is, and the result is expressed as an ISO noise-rating number (an A-weighted reading minus 8 dB when a full octave analysis cannot be made). § 293-5A words the 5 dB margin as a requirement for a noise "to be declared excessive or unreasonable"; the code does not say whether that margin also limits the listed-acts route that § 293-3 offers as an alternative. (2) § 293-5B refers to use districts "having a lower noise-level limit", but no district noise-level limits exist in Chapter 293 or in the Green Code, so the clause has nothing to apply. (3) Sound from a source in a commercial area that is projected into, heard or felt in a residential area is treated as within the residential area and governed by the residential rules (§ 293-2). (4) Construction and lawn equipment are judged by annoyance, not hours alone: work between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. violates § 293-4I(1) only if the sound annoys or disturbs a reasonable person in a residential real property zone; the Commissioner of Public Works may issue special permits for urgent necessity or public health, safety and convenience, for up to three days at a time, renewable (§ 293-4I(2)); the text refers to "Subsection I(b)", but the permit paragraph is numbered I(2). (5) Outdoor speakers and radios that annoy a reasonable person are prohibited at any time in residential and commercial areas (§ 293-4A), with permitted public performances excepted; inside a building, sound may not be projected outdoors so as to be heard more than 100 feet from the property line, while earphones and sound kept indoors are allowed (§ 293-4B). (6) Devices within 500 feet of a school, church, health-care facility, clinic or courthouse in session may not interfere with it (§ 293-4E); near a hospital or nursing home the test is sound heard inside the building that interferes with its functions or disturbs or annoys patients, and only where signs mark the zone (§ 293-4F). (7) Other listed acts: sound devices on boats that are audible on land and annoy (§ 293-4C); sound devices in vehicles that threaten the safety of pedestrians or drivers or deprive the public of peaceful enjoyment of a street, park or public place (§ 293-4D); drums, loudspeakers or other devices used to attract attention to a business that annoy a reasonable person (§ 293-4H); horns, security alarms and signaling devices in a vehicle, vessel, engine, machine or stationary boiler sounding longer than five minutes, except as required by law or as a warning signal during use, emergency vehicles excepted (§ 293-4J); vehicles without an adequate muffler, under Vehicle and Traffic Law § 375(31) (§ 293-4K); air conditioners, snowblowers, solid waste collection vehicles and other mechanical devices that annoy, except in cases of urgent necessity, with government equipment that otherwise complies excepted (§ 293-4M); animals and birds, public zoos excepted (§ 293-4N); and a catch-all for other excessive or unreasonable noise that does not reach the activities in Subsections A to N (§ 293-4O). (8) Penalties: § 293-7A points to Chapter 137, Article I, and to § 1-15, which sets a fine of not more than $1,500 or imprisonment of not more than 15 days, or both, for each offense "in every case wherein no punishment or fine for a violation thereof is provided", each day a separate violation, with possible license suspension or revocation for licensees. The § 137-7 schedule (last amended 2-18-2025) places a first excessive noise violation in Fine Class E ($140.00 fine, $140.00 initial penalty, $140.00 additional penalty, $420.00 maximum total), a second in Class F ($200.00 each, $600.00 maximum) and a third or later in Class G ($265.00 fine, $265.00 additional penalty, $795.00 maximum; the initial-penalty cell is blank on eCode360). A police officer who sees a violation firsthand may arrest without a warrant or issue an appearance ticket (§ 293-7B). (9) Nuisance parties: a social gathering where the conduct of those attending results in "Unreasonable noises as defined in § 293-2" at the site or on neighboring property, or any other listed condition, is a nuisance party; no owner, occupant, tenant or other person in possession or control of the premises may sponsor, conduct, host, invite or permit one, and nobody but a resident may stay after a Buffalo police officer orders the party to cease (Chapter 295, adopted 2016, same penalties). (10) Short-term rentals must comply with the noise ordinance (§ 380-9(L)), and more than three noise violations within a year of the issued license are a ground for revoking a short-term rental certificate after a hearing (§ 380-17). (11) The measurement standards cited in § 293-6 date from 1960 and 1971.

Document it before you report it

Buffalo'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 Buffalo noise map. For time-stamped measurement history you can show a landlord or code officer, the app keeps a log.