Noise ordinances › Chandler, AZ

Chandler noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

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 Chandler acts on. Log noise levels for a complaint — free, runs in your browser, records no audio.

Quiet hours in Chandler

Chandler's code sets no general quiet hours. Sec. 11-10 applies to disturbing or unreasonably loud noise at any time of day, and the dog clause expressly reaches barking or howling "by day or night" (11-10.1(B)(5)). The clocks in the code are source-specific: (1) Construction work, which includes operating construction-related equipment, outside construction and repair work, pile drivers and similar devices, idling or operating concrete mixing trucks and pouring concrete, may not begin before 5:00 a.m. or continue beyond 10:00 p.m. on weekdays when it is within 500 feet of a residential property, and may not begin before 7:00 a.m. and must stop by 7:00 p.m. on any Saturday, Sunday or holiday (11-10.2(A)–(B)); distance is measured from lot lines and includes any intervening public right-of-way. Sec. 11-10.2(A) makes construction work unlawful "except within the time periods specified herein," but the only periods it specifies are for work within 500 feet of a residential property. Work in a public place (any real property owned, maintained or controlled by the City) or right-of-way within 500 feet of a residential property may run outside those hours with an encroachment permit allowing the extended period, kept on the work site (11-10.2(C)), and emergency work to provide essential services or remedy an immediate threat to public safety is not prohibited (11-10.2(D)). (2) Sellers of food and drink at or adjacent to a conveyance may not ring bells, play chimes or an amplified musical system, or make other advertising noise in any residential area between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. or between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., and may make no such noise at all while the vehicle is parked (11-10.1(B)(6)). (3) Revving the engine of a stationary vehicle is allowed only while repairing, adjusting or testing it "during reasonable hours," which the code does not define (11-10.1(B)(4)). (4) A block party held under a neighborhood street-closure permit may "under no circumstances" extend beyond 11:00 p.m., a permit condition the code says is "In keeping with the City of Chandler noise ordinance" (46-3.3(A)(7)), not a citywide curfew. (5) Data centers: unless the generators are supplying backup electrical supply during a power outage, backup generators "may operate between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays," and on City staff's request after the data center opens a data center operator must provide an on-site neighborhood liaison from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. each day to respond to noise complaints (35-2214(3), (7)). (6) Permitted commercial solid waste haulers may not collect solid waste from any location within 300 feet of the property line of any residential property between 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. (44-9.7(B)), a permit condition rather than a noise rule.

Decibel limits — or rather, the lack of them

There is no general decibel limit. Sec. 11-10 and its subsections contain no decibel figure, no zone table and no measurement procedure; the test is whether noise is "disturbing or unreasonably loud," and for radios, instruments, shouting and other vocalization whether it is disturbing or unreasonably loud "to a reasonable person outside the facility or unit from which the noise emanates" (11-10.1(B)(8)–(9)). The listed noises are "merely illustrative" and not exclusive (11-10.1(A)). A full-text search of the Chandler City Code on Municode for "decibel" returns three sections, none of which limits neighbor noise: Sec. 44-9.5(E) requires vehicles of permitted commercial solid waste haulers to be maintained and operated so that noise levels do not exceed seventy-five (75) decibels at a distance of twenty-five (25) feet; Sec. 35-3002 (Airport Impact Overlay District) requires noise level reductions in the design and construction of buildings near the airports so as to achieve a maximum interior noise level of forty-five (45) decibels; and Sec. 35-200 defines "decibel." The data center rule (35-2214(4)–(6)) sets no number: a data center must be designed and built so that sound levels from it, as determined by a third-party acoustic engineer, do not exceed the ambient levels observed in a baseline study taken before the first neighborhood meeting, with a post-construction noise study at the property line of the nearest residentially planned or zoned property and annual studies for five years. A phone or meter reading is useful evidence of how loud and how persistent a noise is, but Chandler officers are not measuring it against a codified threshold.

What the ordinance actually says

Sec. 11-10: "No person shall disturb the peace, quiet and comfort of any neighborhood by creating therein any disturbing or unreasonably loud noise."

Sec. 11-10.1(B)(8): "The playing or operating of any radio, phonograph, orchestra or other musical device or instrument in a manner that is disturbing or unreasonably loud to a reasonable person outside the facility or unit from which the noise emanates; and"

Sec. 11-10.1(B)(5): "Keeping, harboring or having custody within the City any dog which barks, howls or makes noises by day or night which disturbs the peace and quiet of any person or family in the neighborhood;"

Sec. 11-10.2(B): "Construction work occurring within five hundred (500) feet of a residential property may not begin prior to 5:00 a.m. and may not continue beyond 10:00 p.m. on weekdays. Notwithstanding the foregoing, construction work occurring within five hundred (500) of a residential property shall not begin prior to 7:00 a.m. and must stop by 7:00 p.m. on any Saturday, Sunday or holiday."

Sec. 11-10.3(A): "No person shall knowingly congregate because of, or participate in, any party or gathering of two (2) or more people from which noise emanates of sufficient volume or of such nature to reasonably disturb the peace, quiet, or repose of other persons."

Sec. 11-10.4: "Any person who violates a provision of Section 11-10, including any subsection thereof, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be subject to the penalties provided in Chapter 1 of this Code."

Sec. 1-8.3: "Except as otherwise provided by law or ordinance, a person convicted of a violation of this Code shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. A Class 1 misdemeanor is punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500.00), by imprisonment for a term not exceeding six (6) months, by probation for a term not exceeding three (3) years, or by any combination thereof."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Code of the City of Chandler, Arizona, Part III "Public Safety," Chapter 11 "Curfew, Graffiti, Smoking and Miscellaneous Offenses," Sec. 11-10 "Disturbing the peace prohibited" with 11-10.1 Disturbing noises designated, 11-10.2 Construction noise, 11-10.3 Disruptive parties and 11-10.4 Penalties for disturbing the peace (Ord. No. 4153, § 1, 1-28-10; Ord. No. 4317, § 1, 8-15-11; Ord. No. 4365, § 4, 6-14-12; Ord. No. 4802, § 2(Exh., § 1), 4-26-18); with Sec. 11-16 Unruly gathering (Ord. No. 4642, 5-11-15; Ord. No. 5096, § 2(Exh.), 5-23-24), Sec. 1-8 General penalty, Chapter 26 Code enforcement through civil infraction procedures (Sec. 26-12 Civil penalties), Sec. 35-2214 Data centers (Ord. No. 5033, § 2, 12-8-22), Sec. 44-9.5(E) and 44-9.7(B) (commercial solid waste haulers; Ord. No. 5149, 1-22-26), Sec. 31-7(E) (park amplification permits), Sec. 14-10 (Reserved) and Sec. 46-3.3 (block party street closures). Text read on Municode, the City's code host (Supp. No. 80, codified through Ordinance No. 5171, adopted July 13, 2026), 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 Chandler

Per chandleraz.gov's City Services Directory (A–Z), the Chandler Police Department's non-emergency line, 480-782-4130, is the number to use for "Loud parties or noise complaints" and "Barking dogs" among other examples, and "If you are not sure if your situation is an emergency or not, call 9-1-1." The Police Department's Contact page lists "Dispatch (non-emergency) – 480-782-4130" and prints the same number in its header as "(480) 782-4130". Barking dogs, per chandlerazpd.gov/barking-dog/: talk to the neighbor first, document dates and times with logs and audio or video, then call 480-782-4130 to request an officer; a complainant is required, must give their name and be willing to testify in court, and "An officer will not respond if you are unwilling to give this information." Residents who do not want to be named can call the Barking Dog Hotline at 480-782-BARK (2275) to have information sent to the dog owner or to receive a Barking Dog Information Packet by mail; the page also links a Barking Dog Incident Log and Reporting Form. Construction noise: the City's online "Construction Noise" service request form says "If immediate attention is required, do not rely on this online form. Call the City at 480-782-4130." Violations of Sec. 11-10 are misdemeanors (11-10.4), which the code lets the City enforce by criminal complaint, either a police officer's citation or a long-form complaint filed in Chandler Municipal Court (1-8.9(A)); at a noisy party a police officer may order everyone other than the owners or tenants to disperse (11-10.3(B)). Sources: https://www.chandleraz.gov/chandler-a-z, https://chandlerazpd.gov/contact-cpd/, https://chandlerazpd.gov/barking-dog/ and https://www.chandleraz.gov/contact-chandler-form/service-request-construction-noise.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Chandler. 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) No meter, no curfew: the whole standard is "disturbing or unreasonably loud," judged for music and voices from the standpoint of a reasonable person outside the unit or facility the sound comes from, so a loud stereo can violate Sec. 11-10 at noon and quiet conversation does not violate it at midnight. (2) Penalties are criminal: any violation of Sec. 11-10 is a misdemeanor (11-10.4), which under Sec. 1-8.3 is a Class 1 misdemeanor unless otherwise provided, punishable by a fine of up to $2,500, up to six months in jail, up to three years' probation, or a combination; an enterprise can be fined up to $20,000 (1-8.4), and each day a continuing violation goes on is a separate offense (1-8.3). (3) Parties: a gathering of two or more people that makes enough noise to reasonably disturb others violates 11-10.3; a police officer may order everyone except the owners or tenants to leave, refusing to leave is unlawful, and an owner or tenant who knows of the disturbance must abate it immediately. Separately, Sec. 11-16 makes it unlawful for a responsible person to intentionally, knowingly or recklessly permit an "unruly gathering," which includes excessive noise "witnessed and reasonably evaluated by a police officer and/or by a code enforcement officer"; the "responsible person" includes an owner who knew of the event even if absent, and a juvenile's parents or guardians. Unless otherwise designated it is a civil infraction (11-16.5, 1-8.7) with a civil sanction of up to $500 unless another penalty is specified (26-12.1); a person who commits it after having been found responsible for a civil infraction within any eighteen-month period is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor (11-16.5), and on any response the responsible persons may be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor if a minor is found in possession or consumption of alcohol, illegal drugs or any felony act are found, a physical altercation results in injury, or the owner had notice of an unruly gathering there within the prior 180 days (11-16.3(2)). (4) Business noise is carved out: noise "produced in the normal conduct of business or commerce" is not prohibited if it occurs within the normal and customary hours for that business and the operation is legally conducted, and emergency vehicles and operations are exempt at any time (11-10.1(C)). (5) Construction: concrete pouring and idling concrete trucks count as construction work, and the weekend sentence of 11-10.2(B) omits the word "feet" ("within five hundred (500) of a residential property"). An encroachment permit for extended hours in a public place or right-of-way may be revoked upon complaint based on substantial evidence that the work caused unreasonable disturbance, with an informal hearing and an appeal to the City Manager (11-10.2(E)). (6) State law: A.R.S. § 9-500.52(A) bars a municipality from enacting or enforcing a noise rule that prohibits general construction between May 1 and October 15 "between the hours of 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. each business day and between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Saturday" for work under a validly issued building permit, and § 9-500.52(B) says the municipality "shall allow concrete to be poured at least one hour before the time that general construction activities are regularly scheduled to begin." Chandler's weekday and Saturday windows already include the statute's hours, but its code still lists pouring concrete as construction work subject to the same 5:00 a.m. weekday and 7:00 a.m. weekend start, and the codified text does not mention the statute. (7) Barking dogs have no separate section: the former Sec. 14-10 on barking dogs was repealed by Ord. No. 3730 (11-14-05), and dog noise is now one of the listed disturbing noises in 11-10.1(B)(5); the police department will not send an officer without a named complainant willing to testify. (8) Ice cream and food trucks: no bells, chimes or amplified music for advertising in residential areas from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. or from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., none at any time while parked, and at no time may the sound disturb or annoy "any reasonable person of normal sensitiveness residing or working in the area" (11-10.1(B)(6)). (9) Vehicles: squealing tires, horn use beyond what state law allows, an exhaust not built to prevent disturbing or unreasonably loud noise, and revving a stationary engine are each listed disturbing noises (11-10.1(B)(1)–(4)). (10) Park amplification needs a permit from the Community Services Director, and "Noise must remain at a level that does not disturb adjacent neighbors or the reasonable use of the park or facilities by others" (31-7(E)). (11) Data centers (35-2214, Ord. No. 5033): not permitted unless explicitly approved as part of a Planned Area Development zoning district (small ancillary data centers that serve the on-site owner's own enterprise are allowed under listed conditions). Before a data center is built in a PAD, the owner must mail notice to residents within a half-mile radius, hold two neighborhood meetings that cover sound mitigation and commission a baseline sound study; the data center must be designed so its sound does not exceed the baseline ambient level; and after it opens the operator must run a post-construction noise study and annual studies for five years, announce routine generator operation, including tests, on a website at least 24 hours ahead, and provide an on-site liaison for noise complaints when City staff request one.

Document it before you report it

Chandler enforces mostly by audibility, but a log of measured levels still makes a complaint concrete and credible. 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 Chandler noise map. For time-stamped measurement history you can show a landlord or code officer, the app keeps a log.