Noise ordinances › Corpus Christi, TX

Corpus Christi noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: October 1, 2026

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Quiet hours in Corpus Christi

The decibel clock is written by day of the week (31-3(a)): 70 dB(A) applies from 8:01 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 7:01 a.m. to 12:00 midnight on Friday and Saturday; 60 dB(A) applies from 11:01 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, from 12:01 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 12:01 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. on Sunday. The Entertainment District's 85 dB(A) applies "at all times" (31-3(a)(3)). Construction operations, including demolition, repair, drilling, excavation and alteration, are exempt from the chapter "during the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m." with no weekday or weekend distinction (31-6(j)); the clause ends "unless the work is of urgent necessity in the interest of public health and safety," and the chapter does not say expressly whether urgent work is exempt outside those hours. Normal property maintenance such as lawn mowing is exempt from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (31-6(h)). The nuisance list in 31-2, the vehicle-stereo rule in 31-5 and the vibration rule in 31-4 contain no hours.

Decibel limits

Yes. Sec. 31-3(a): a sound that is "discernable beyond the property lines" of its source may not exceed, measured on the property where it is received with an ANSI-standard meter: 70 dB(A) from 8:01 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7:01 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday; 60 dB(A) from 11:01 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, 12:01 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 12:01 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. Sunday; and 85 dB(A) at all times for sound that both originates from and is received on property within the Entertainment District (the downtown, bayfront and port areas on a map filed with the city secretary). Sec. 31-3 sets no separate residential, commercial or industrial levels; the residential and nonresidential definitions in 31-1 are used in the equipment exception and the violator rules (31-6(i), 31-9). Sec. 31-3(b) makes any reading above the level at the receiving property a violation, and 31-3(c) caps sound from Cole Park at 70 dB(A) measured from any private property, a cap that applies even to city-sponsored celebrations (31-6(e)). Measurement (31-7): traffic, aircraft and other transportation noise and other background noise are not considered except where background noise interferes with the primary noise being measured; A-weighting applies where no weighting is stated (31-1). Equipment: air conditioners, heat pumps, HVAC systems and pool machinery are exempt if they do not exceed "seventy (70) dBA on residential property or seventy (75) dBA on nonresidential property" at the nearest exterior wall of a building under separate ownership (31-6(i)). Without a meter: the definition of noise nuisance in 31-1 covers both a sound over the 31-3 levels and any loud, irritating, vexing or disturbing sound from a nearby property under separate ownership that causes injury, discomfort or distress to a person of reasonable nervous sensibilities, and 31-2 declares unlawful, "among others not hereinafter enumerated," radios and other sound devices, animals that make frequent or long, continued noise, horns used other than as a danger signal, unmuffled exhausts, shouting and devices such as whistles, bells and loudspeakers, peddlers' cries, and unreasonably loud noise on a street or sidewalk next to a school, hospital or court in session, when carried on so as to annoy, distress or disturb such a person within the vicinity or hearing, or to endanger health, safety or property. Vehicles: a car sound system audible at 30 feet or more, or whose vibration makes a person outside the vehicle aware of it, is a violation (31-5). Vibration perceptible without instruments on adjoining property is a violation unless regulated under state or federal law (31-4).

What the ordinance actually says

Sec. 31-3(a): "It shall be unlawful for any person to conduct, permit, allow, or produce a sound that is discernable beyond the property lines of the property on which the sound is being produced that, when measured with a sound level meter using the standardized frequency weighting as specified by the American National Standards Institute, exceeds the applicable dB(A) level listed below for the property on which the sound is received: (1) Seventy (70) dB(A) between the hours of 8:01 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and between the hours of 7:01 a.m. and 12:00 midnight on Friday and Saturday. (2) Sixty (60) dB(A) between the hours of 11:01 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and between the hours of 12:01 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and between the hours of 12:01 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. on Sunday. (3) Eighty-five (85) dB(A) for sound that both originates from and is received on property within the Entertainment District, at all times."

Sec. 31-3(b): "The dB(A) levels set forth in this section apply to the property where the sound is being received. Any sound that when measured at the property where the sound is being received exceeds the dB(A) level set forth in this section is a violation of this chapter."

Sec. 31-1: "Noise nuisance means any loud, irritating, vexing or disturbing sound originating from a nearby property under separate ownership which causes injury, discomfort, or distress of a person of reasonable nervous sensibilities, or any sound that exceeds the maximum permitted sound levels specified in section 31-3."

Sec. 31-2(a): "The following acts, among others not hereinafter enumerated, are declared to be "noise nuisances," and are unlawful and in violation of the provisions of this chapter when such acts are done or accomplished or carried on in such a manner, or with such volume, intensity, or with continued duration, so as to annoy, to distress, or to disturb the quiet, comfort, or repose of a person of reasonable nervous sensibilities, within the vicinity or hearing thereof, or so as to endanger or injure the safety or health of humans or animals, or so as to interfere with the physical well being of humans or animals, or so as to endanger or injure personal or real property:"

Sec. 31-5: "It shall be unlawful for any person operating or controlling a motor vehicle in either a public or private place within the city to operate any sound amplifier which is part of, or connected to, any radio, stereo receiver, compact disc player, cassette player, or other similar device in the motor vehicle, in such a manner that, when operated, is audible at a distance of thirty (30) or more feet from the source or, when operated causes a person to be aware of the vibration accompanying the sound in any location outside the confines of the vehicle emitting the sound, noise, or vibration."

Sec. 31-6(j): "Sound produced by construction operations including demolition, repair, drilling, excavation, and alteration during the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., unless the work is of urgent necessity in the interest of public health and safety."

Sec. 31-6(i): "Sound produced by the operation of any air-conditioning unit, heat pump, HVAC system, or swimming pool machinery which does not produce a sound exceeding seventy (70) dBA on residential property or seventy (75) dBA on nonresidential property, when measured at the nearest exterior wall of a residential or commercial building under separate ownership; or"

Sec. 31-7: "Whenever portions of this chapter prohibit noise over a certain decibel limit, measurement of said noise shall be made with a decibel meter meeting the standards prescribed by the American National Standards Institute. Traffic, aircraft and other transportation noise sources and other background noises shall not be considered in taking measurements except where such background noise interferes with the primary noise being measured."

Sec. 31-9(a): "At residential property. Any resident present at the time of the offense, and any guest or trespasser with the ability to control the level of noise at the time of the offense when no resident is present at the time of the offense."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Code of Ordinances, City of Corpus Christi, Texas, Chapter 31 "Noise" (enacted in full by Ord. No. 027440, § 1, adopted Oct. 9, 2007, which repealed the former Chapter 31 derived from Code 1958, §§ 22-1—22-7; no later amendment is shown in any section): 31-1 definitions and standards, 31-2 noise nuisance enumeration, 31-3 noise violation decibel readings, 31-4 vibration, 31-5 vehicular mounted sound amplification systems, 31-6 exceptions, 31-7 method of noise measurement, 31-8 enforcement and penalties, 31-9 identification of violator; Chapter 1, Sec. 1-6 general penalty (Ord. No. 21242; Ord. No. 025704) and Sec. 1-6.1 continuing violations. Text read on Municode (the City's code host; version of Aug. 25, 2026) 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 Corpus Christi

Per corpuschristitx.gov, Police Department "Make a Police Report" page: Non-Emergency Phone (361) 886-2600, and 911 for emergencies or crimes in progress; the same page offers telephone reporting at (361) 886-2600 or (361) 886-COPS. The City's 311 knowledge base article "Construction Times (noise complaint)" (311.cctexas.com) says construction can take place from 7am to 8pm and that anyone with a noise issue should contact "the police non-emergency number 361-826-2600," which does not match the police department's published (361) 886-2600. For barking dogs, Animal Care Services' "Report a Barking Dog/Nuisance" page recommends a conversation with the owner first, then free mediation through Nueces County Dispute Resolution Services, and if neither works, a report to Animal Care Services at (361) 826-4630 or the Customer Call Center at 3-1-1. Penalties (31-8, 1-6): each violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine, with each act and each day a separate violation; Sec. 1-6 caps fines at $2,000 for ordinances governing fire safety, zoning, or public health and sanitation and at $500 for any other offense (unless state law sets the penalty), and Chapter 31 does not say which category it falls in. Obstructing or interfering with a city representative, monitoring equipment or a person abating a violation is a separate misdemeanor (31-8(b)).

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Corpus Christi. 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) One number for everyone: outside the Entertainment District and Cole Park rules, 31-3 applies the same 70 / 60 dB(A) levels whatever the receiving property is used for, so a house next to a bar and a warehouse next to a bar get the same limit, measured where the sound is received rather than at the source's property line. (2) The weekend clock is keyed to calendar days: on Friday and Saturday the daytime level starts at 7:01 a.m. (an hour earlier than Sunday through Thursday) and runs to midnight, while Sunday morning keeps the night level until 8:00 a.m.; the windows are written to the minute (8:01, 11:01, 12:01). (3) Inside the Entertainment District (downtown, bayfront and port), sound that both starts and lands in the district may reach 85 dB(A) under the meter rule at any hour, which is 25 dB(A) above the citywide night level and applies to residents of the district too. (4) The air-conditioner exception contains a word-number mismatch, "seventy (75) dBA" for nonresidential property (31-6(i)). (5) Construction is exempt from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. every day of the week, Sundays included (31-6(j)); outside those hours 31-6(j) gives no stated exemption; the clause ends "unless the work is of urgent necessity in the interest of public health and safety," without saying how urgent work outside those hours is treated. (6) The car-stereo rule has two triggers: audible at 30 feet, or vibration that makes someone outside the vehicle aware of it (31-5); a vehicle moving on a public road with a proper muffler is exempt only for motor sound (31-6(c)). (7) Liability is spelled out (31-9): at a home, any resident present, or a guest or trespasser who can control the noise when no resident is there; at a business, the owner, operator, manager, employee in charge and anyone controlling the source; and anyone who leaves a device or animal unattended that later starts making noise. (8) The nuisance definition in 31-1 speaks of sound "originating from a nearby property under separate ownership." (9) Cole Park has its own 70 dB(A) cap at any private property, and it survives the exemption for city-sponsored celebrations (31-3(c), 31-6(e)). (10) Exempt (31-6): emergency signals, emergency vehicles, governmental functions, scheduled stadium events, permitted parades, city-sponsored celebrations, permitted historical reenactments and pyrotechnic displays, school and playground activity, and anything preempted by state or federal law such as aircraft in flight. (11) Every section's history note cites only the 2007 enacting ordinance (Ord. No. 027440). (12) The City's 311 article prints the police non-emergency number as 361-826-2600, but the police department's own page lists (361) 886-2600.

Document it before you report it

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