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Denver noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: August 11, 2026

Quiet hours in Denver

Denver's decibel limits step down at night: Table A in § 36-6 sets a daytime period of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and a night period of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and at a residential receiving property the limit drops from 55 dB(A) during the day to 50 dB(A) at night. Construction has its own, separate and stricter clock that does not use a decibel meter at all: under § 36-7(a)(7)(A) construction equipment and construction activities (including site deliveries and pick-ups) may not be "plainly audible" at any residential property except Monday through Friday between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Several other activities have their own night bans: domestic power equipment is prohibited 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. and commercial power equipment 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (§ 36-7(a)(6)); tree maintenance, landscaping and lawn care equipment are prohibited 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (§ 36-7(a)(5)); and trash, recycling and street-sweeping ("waste stream") equipment is prohibited next to or across the street or alley from a home between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. (§ 36-7(a)(3)). Fire alarms may only be tested 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (§ 36-7(a)(2)).

Decibel limits

Yes — Denver sets numeric dB(A) limits in Table A of § 36-6, measured at the property line of the premises receiving the noise. The limit depends on what the RECEIVING property is used for (not on the zoning map, and not on what the noisy property is), plus time of day. Residential receiving property: 55 dB(A) from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., 50 dB(A) from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Commercial receiving property: 65 dB(A) day, 60 dB(A) night. Industrial receiving property: 80 dB(A) day, 75 dB(A) night. Public property (streets, parks, sidewalks): 75 dB(A) day, 70 dB(A) night. These figures are identical for every category of source premises (residential, commercial, industrial or public). One grandfather exception, shown in brackets in Table A: a commercial, industrial or public premises that already existed and was already emitting sound before the residential property next to it existed gets a higher allowance at that residential receiving property — 65/60 dB(A) for a commercial source, 80/75 dB(A) for an industrial source, and 75/70 dB(A) for a public source (day/night). Also, under § 36-6(a)(2), where background ambient sound at the receiving property already equals or exceeds the Table A number, the ambient level becomes the ceiling instead — so on a loud arterial the practical limit is the existing background, not 55 dB(A). Measurement must be A-weighted with a sound level meter meeting ANSI S1.4-1971 Type 2 or better (§ 36-3(a); meter spec defined at § 36-2(28)), and "ambient sound" is defined as the L90 — the level exceeded 90 percent of the time (§ 36-2(2)).

What the ordinance actually says

§ 36-6(a): "It shall be unlawful for any person to emit or cause to be emitted any noise that leaves the premises on which it originates, crosses a property line, and enters onto any other premises in excess of the sound pressure levels permitted during the time periods specified in Table A. It is further unlawful for any person to emit or cause to be emitted any noise within the public premises in excess of the limits established in Table A."

§ 36-6(a)(1): "The noise source shall be measured at any point along the property line of the receptor premises or within the property line of the receptor premises, as determined at the discretion of the department, to determine compliance with this chapter."

§ 36-6(a)(2): "When it is determined that the ambient sound pressure level at the receptor premises equals or exceeds the maximum allowable sound pressure level specified in Table A, then the ambient sound pressure level is the standard that cannot be exceeded by the noise source."

Table A note, § 36-6(a): "The numbers in brackets are the allowable limits for any industrial, commercial, or public premises causing the unbracketed levels to be exceeded at a residential receptor premises when such industrial, commercial, or public premises and their emitted sound pressure levels were in existence prior to the existence of the residential receptor premises."

§ 36-7(a)(7)(A): "No person shall operate, or cause to be operated, any construction equipment nor conduct any construction activities, including, without limitation, preparation activities, job site deliveries, and job site pick-ups in a manner that is plainly audible on any residential receptor premises, except during the following hours:" (I) "On Monday through Friday between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m." (II) "On Saturday and Sunday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m."

§ 36-2(20): "Plainly audible means that the information content of the sound is unambiguously communicated to the listener; examples include, but are not limited to, understanding of speech, comprehension of raised or normal voices, or comprehension of musical rhythms."

§ 36-7(a)(6): "No person shall operate or cause to be operated domestic power equipment between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. No person shall operate or cause to be operated commercial power equipment between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m."

§ 36-7(a)(5): "No person shall perform or operate any tree maintenance, landscaping, or lawn care equipment upon any residential, commercial, industrial, or public premises between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m."

§ 36-7(a)(3): "No person shall operate any waste stream equipment nor conduct any waste stream activities on any premises adjoining to or across the street or alley from a residential receptor premises between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m."

§ 36-6(b)(6) (exempt from the Table A decibel limits): "Construction equipment or activities; tree maintenance, landscaping, or lawn care equipment operated on a residential, commercial, industrial, or public premises; domestic power equipment or commercial power equipment operated on a residential, industrial or public premises; and waste stream equipment and activities when not prohibited as set forth in section 36-7 of this chapter." — followed by: "This exemption does not apply if equipment is not in good working order, not used for the manufacturer's intended purposes, or not operated in compliance with any required license or permit."

§ 36-6(b)(14)(A) (permitted public events, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.): "Production, reproduction, or amplification of sound may not exceed a sound pressure level of eighty-five (85) dB(A) when measured from the nearest residential receptor premises. The department may choose not to measure from an uninhabited residence."

§ 36-7(a)(4): "No person shall operate an engine compression brake device ("Jake Brake") within the City and County of Denver or on property owned by the City and County of Denver."

§ 36-2(23): "The vertical and horizontal boundaries of a single unit in a multi-unit building, condominium, or townhouse complex shall not be considered property lines separating one (1) premises from another."

§ 36-10(b): "Loud or disturbing noise emitted by unamplified human voices shall be enforced pursuant to the provisions of chapter 38, article IV of this Code, provided however that sounds from amplified human voices are subject to the provisions of section 36-6."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Denver Revised Municipal Code (D.R.M.C.), Title II, Chapter 36 — Noise Control, §§ 36-1 through 36-10 (entire chapter readopted by Ord. No. 44-25, § 1, effective 2-24-25). § 36-1 purpose; § 36-2 definitions (including "ambient sound" as L90 at (2), "plainly audible" at (20), "property line" at (23), "sound level meter" — ANSI S1.4-1971 Type 2 or better — at (28), "residential premises" at (26), "industrial premises" at (15)); § 36-3 measurement instrumentation (A-weighting required; procedure for measuring ambient where the source interferes); § 36-4 enforcement, inspection and warrants; § 36-5 misrepresentation to avoid compliance; § 36-6 the operative limits — Table A allowable sound pressure levels in dB(A) by receiving-premises category and time of day, plus 18 exemptions at § 36-6(b); § 36-7 prohibited noise activities — vehicle horns, alarms, waste stream, compression brakes, tree maintenance, power equipment, construction hours — plus the non-conforming-construction permission at (b) and variance route at (c); § 36-8 motor vehicle noise and mufflers; § 36-9 city contracts, licenses and permits must require chapter compliance; § 36-10 cross-references routing animal noise to Chapter 8, unamplified human voices to Chapter 38 Article IV, off-road recreational vehicles to Chapters 39 and 54, and permitted alarms to Chapter 42.). Verified against the live code on 2026-08-11. 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 Denver

Call Denver 311 (dial 3-1-1 inside the city, or 720-913-1311 from outside) or file online through the city's Report an Issue portal at denvergov.org/Online-Services-Hub/Report-an-Issue. Noise complaints are investigated by the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE), Public Health Investigations division, which states it will respond to a complaint within 72 business hours; an inspector investigates, a legitimate complaint first draws a verbal or written warning to bring the noise down to legal levels, and failure to comply then brings an administrative citation or a summons to court. For a noise problem happening right now that needs immediate attention — a late-night party, for example — call the Denver Police non-emergency line at 720-913-2000 instead. DDPHE states a fine of up to $5,000 can be levied by the court on a guilty finding.

For the general playbook — documenting the problem, talking to a landlord or HOA, when 311 beats 911 — see the noise complaints guide.

Worth knowing

Several carve-outs materially change what the decibel numbers actually reach. (1) The biggest: § 36-6(b)(6) exempts construction, tree/landscaping/lawn equipment, domestic and commercial power equipment, and waste-stream activity from the Table A decibel limits entirely — for those sources the only rule is the time-of-day ban in § 36-7, so a legal daytime jackhammer cannot be cited on a dB reading. That exemption is lost if the equipment "is not in good working order, not used for the manufacturer's intended purposes, or not operated in compliance with any required license or permit." (2) The receiving-property category is set by USE, not by the zoning map: "Residential premises" covers all premises containing dwelling units, primary schools, churches, nursing homes, hospitals and similar institutional facilities, and also any commercial premises where more than 50 percent of the gross floor area is residential; "Industrial premises means any premises where manufacturing, processing or fabrication of goods or products takes place regardless of whether located in a residential, commercial or industrial zoned area" (§ 36-2(15), (26)). (3) Units inside the same building do not count — § 36-2(23) states that boundaries between units in a multi-unit building, condo or townhouse complex are not property lines, and neither are boundaries between separate buildings on the same parcel, so Chapter 36 does not reach a neighbour through a shared wall. (4) Permitted public events get 85 dB(A) at the nearest home from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., but a private property owner may not host such over-limit events on more than 8 days a calendar year, no more than 4 consecutive days, with a 30-day cooling-off period after two or more consecutive days (§ 36-6(b)(14)). (5) A builder can apply to the DDPHE executive director for a "non-conforming construction activity" order to work outside the permitted hours (traffic/public-safety showing, a noise model or monitoring and community-response plan, notice to registered neighbourhood organizations and city council within 10 business days of filing, at least 5 business days of public comment), with an appeal route to a variance from the Board of Public Health and Environment (§ 36-7(b), (c)). (6) Other exemptions from the dB table (18 in all, § 36-6(b)) include church/school/building-clock bells 7 a.m.–10 p.m. if unamplified; emergency sirens and alarms; aircraft in flight and licensed helipad landings; ground-based aircraft activity only so long as it stays under 60 dB(A) at an inhabited home; on-road motor vehicles (governed instead by § 36-8); deliveries 7 a.m.–10 p.m. except construction-site deliveries; school marching bands (capped at 75 dB(A) at a residential property line); snow removal 7 a.m.–10 p.m. or during any snowfall or declared snow emergency; emergency generators at hospitals and similar facilities (routine testing capped at 88 dB(A) at 25 feet, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., limited duration); fireworks; unamplified water sounds; unamplified human voices; and individual barking dogs. (7) A trap for renters: under § 36-6(b)(11), where a home sits in a zone that does not actually allow residential use, a commercial, industrial or public neighbour is measured against the INDUSTRIAL ceiling (80/75 dB(A)) rather than 55/50 — the single largest swing in the chapter. § 36-6(b)(12) separately grandfathers activity that existed before April 2, 1999, was found in violation and was brought into compliance, until the business activity changes or the equipment is replaced. (8) Barking dogs and animal noise are handled under Chapter 8, articles I and II, rather than Chapter 36 — except that licensed commercial kennels and businesses with an established dog yard ARE also subject to § 36-6 (§ 36-10(a)); shouting and other unamplified voices go to Chapter 38, Article IV, while AMPLIFIED voices stay under § 36-6; off-road recreational vehicles on public premises go to Chapters 39 and 54, and permitted alarms to Chapter 42 (§ 36-10(c), (d)). (9) Vehicle rules sit in two places: § 36-8 requires a muffler in good working order at all times, requires motorcycles manufactured after December 31, 1982 to carry an EPA-labelled exhaust muffler, and subjects a vehicle's auxiliary equipment to Table A; the citywide ban on engine compression brakes ("Jake Brakes") is in § 36-7(a)(4), not § 36-8. (10) Vehicle horns may only be sounded to prevent or avoid an accident, though railroad and railway-crossing signals are excepted; an alarm without a valid § 42-106 user permit is an unlawful nuisance if it sounds over 15 minutes, or three or more times in seven days where the city finds no emergency (§ 36-7(a)(1)-(2)). (11) Chapter 36 was comprehensively rewritten by Ordinance No. 44-25, effective 2-24-25 — every section from 36-1 to 36-10 now carries that citation, so older summaries of Denver's noise rules are out of date and several third-party code mirrors still serve the superseded 2008 text. The chapter carries a State Law reference to "Noise abatement, C.R.S. 1973, 25-12-101 et seq.", but Denver is a home-rule city and Chapter 36 is the operative local standard.

Document it before you report it

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