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Noise ordinances › Dallas, TX
Dallas noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints
Dallas, TX regulates noise under Dallas City Code. Quiet hours: No named quiet hours; construction near homes only 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. weekdays (Sec. 30-2(8)). No general dB limit: the test is a loud and disturbing noise "offensive to the ordinary sensibilities of the inhabitants of the city," with thirteen presumed-offensive noises listed (Secs. 30-1, 30-2). Below: the exact code language, who actually takes complaints, and a link to the official text.
Last updated:
| Quiet hours | No named quiet hours; construction near homes only 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. weekdays (Sec. 30-2(8)) |
|---|---|
| Limit type | No general dB limit — audibility / nuisance standard |
| Headline limit | No general dB limit: the test is a loud and disturbing noise "offensive to the ordinary sensibilities of the inhabitants of the city," with thirteen presumed-offensive noises listed (Secs. 30-1, 30-2) |
| Official code | Dallas City Code |
Quiet hours in Dallas
Chapter 30 names no general quiet hours; the presumption in Sec. 30-2(2) that music or a television played loudly enough to disturb the peace, quiet, comfort or repose of people in any dwelling, apartment or hotel is offensive applies at any hour. The clock appears in specific clauses: Sec. 30-2(8), construction on or adjacent to a residential use only between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays and legal holidays, absent a written permit from the director of transportation and public works; Sec. 30-2(12), no garbage, waste or refuse collection between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on or within 300 feet of a residential use; Sec. 30-4(a)(1), no mechanical loudspeaker or amplifier in a public place within 150 feet of a residence except between 8:00 a.m. and sunset.
Decibel limits — or rather, the lack of them
No. Sec. 30-1 makes it an offence to make any loud and disturbing noise or vibration that is offensive to the ordinary sensibilities of the inhabitants of the city, and Sec. 30-2 lists thirteen noises presumed offensive, none with a decibel figure: horns except as danger signals; radios, televisions and instruments played so as to disturb people in a residence; an animal making loud noises for more than 15 minutes near a home its owner has no right to occupy; vehicles out of repair; steam whistles; unmuffled engine and vehicle exhaust; construction outside the permitted hours; peddlers' shouting; drums or amplifiers used to draw customers; loudspeakers on moving vehicles for advertising; garbage collection 10 p.m.–7 a.m. near homes; and car stereos audible or felt so as to unreasonably disturb another person. Sec. 30-4 restricts loudspeakers and amplifiers in public places by distance (150 feet from a residence, hospital, in-session school, nursing home or surgical facility) and hours, again without a number.
What the ordinance actually says
Sec. 30-1: "A person commits an offense if he makes or causes to be made any loud and disturbing noise or vibration in the city that is offensive to the ordinary sensibilities of the inhabitants of the city."
Sec. 30-2(2), presumed offensive: "The playing of any radio, phonograph, television, or musical instrument with such volume as to disturb the peace, quiet, comfort, or repose of persons in any dwelling, apartment, hotel, or other type of residence."
Sec. 30-2(8): construction on or adjacent to a residential use "other than between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays and legal holidays" is presumed offensive.
Sec. 30-4(a)(1): "No mechanical loudspeaker or sound amplifier may be operated within 150 feet of the property line of the premises of a residence, except between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and sunset"
Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Dallas City Code, Volume I, Chapter 30 "Noise," Sections 30-1 through 30-5 (Ord. Nos. 13744; 24835; 26022; 32864; 4/2026 Supplement No. 32, current through Ordinance 33315, passed 1-28-2026)). Verified against the live code on 2026-09-03. 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 Dallas
Dallas 311: dial 3-1-1 inside the city or (214) 670-3111 from outside, use the Our Dallas / Dallas 311 app or the online service request portal, or email dallas311@dallas.gov; the call centre runs 24 hours (dallascityhall.com, "Dallas 311" and "Code Compliance"). Loud music and party noise in progress is a police matter through the same 311 route.
Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Dallas. For the general playbook — documenting the problem, talking to a landlord or HOA, when 311 beats 911 — see the noise complaints guide.
Worth knowing
The code works entirely by presumption: a listed act is presumed offensive and the burden shifts to the person making the noise. A registered vehicle owner is presumed to be the violator for advertising loudspeakers on vehicles (Sec. 30-2.1) and for engine compression brakes, which are banned citywide outside emergencies (Sec. 30-3.2). Commercial vehicles over 14,000 lb may not idle more than five consecutive minutes within 300 feet of a residence (Sec. 30-3.1), with a $500 fine per instance. Speech, picketing and gatherings using a loudspeaker must be ordered to stop before any citation (Sec. 30-4(c)). Sirens, bells and exhaust whistles are reserved to police, fire and ambulances (Sec. 30-3). Zoning rules add separate noise regulations for specific districts (Sec. 51-6.102 of the Development Code).
Document it before you report it
Dallas 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 Dallas noise map. For time-stamped measurement history you can show a landlord or code officer, the app keeps a log.