Noise ordinances › Glendale, AZ

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

Quiet hours in Glendale

Glendale has no general curfew: the general prohibition in 25-64 applies at any hour. The one general clock is in 25-66(b): between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. a radio, phonograph or other sound producing or reproducing device may not be heard off the premises where it is operated in a manner that creates excessive, unnecessary or offensive noise causing discomfort or annoyance to a reasonable person of normal sensitivity residing in the area; separately, "at any time" such a device may not be heard more than 125 feet from the premises while making that kind of noise (25-66(a)). A device heard off the premises may also not be played continuously for more than 2 1/2 hours without an intermission of at least 30 minutes, when it creates such noise (25-66(c)). Repairing, rebuilding or testing a motor vehicle in a residential area is barred between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. when it creates such noise (25-67(a)). Permissible fireworks are exempt from Article V except between 12:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., and on January 1 and July 5 except between 1:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. (25-65(13)). Construction (25-68(b)), unless a City permit authorizes other times: concrete may be poured each day from 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. from April 15 through October 15 and from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. from October 16 through April 14; other construction or repair work in residential zones may run 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. each day from April 15 through October 15 and 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. each day from October 16 through April 14 "in, or within five hundred (500) feet of, a residential zone"; work in commercial and industrial zones not within 500 feet of a residential zone may run 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; and on any Saturday and Sunday, notwithstanding the rest, work may run 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., with concrete pouring that "should not begin prior to 6:00 a.m." and must stop by 7:00 p.m. Mobile food vendors: under the Unified Development Code their hours of operation "shall exclude the hours between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m." unless a Special Event permit expands them (35.3.302(E)(1)(c)), and they may not use a loudspeaker, microphone, amplified music or other amplified device in a vending area on any right-of-way, park or other public place at any hour; among the factors listed with that ban, "it shall be presumed that any amplified noise between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. is reasonably disturbing" (35.3.302(E)(6)). Landscape maintenance equipment has no hours: it is exempt from Article V whenever it is functioning to manufacturer's specifications with all mufflers and noise-reducing equipment in use (25-65(2)).

Decibel limits — or rather, the lack of them

There is no general decibel limit. Article V contains no decibel figure, no zone table and no measurement procedure, even though its purpose clause says noises are detrimental to health and welfare "At and above certain levels" (25-61) and 25-65 is headed "Exemptions from noise level regulations." The tests are disturbance, witness and distance tests: noise that disturbs the peace and quiet or that causes discomfort or annoyance to two or more unrelated independent witnesses (25-64(a)); music or other sound devices heard more than 125 feet from the premises, or off the premises from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., while creating noise that causes discomfort or annoyance to a reasonable person of normal sensitivity residing in the area (25-66(a)–(b)); and vehicle sound systems that can be heard outside the vehicle from 50 or more feet or that annoy or disturb any reasonable person in the vicinity (25-67(c)). Outside Article V, decibel figures in the Glendale City Code are building and land-use conditions, none of which reaches ordinary neighbor noise: new homes, churches, schools, daycare centers and other noise-sensitive uses within half a mile of a freeway right-of-way must be certified, before a certificate of occupancy, to keep interior noise in all rooms at or below forty-five (45) dB (9-2); and in the Unified Development Code, before a certificate of occupancy, community and neighborhood shopping centers must certify that noise from mechanical equipment does not exceed 55 dBA ("normal speaking voice") at the property line (35.3.103(J), (V)); a pet day care facility next to a residential or agricultural district must be designed so the average sound level emitted from the interior does not exceed 45 decibels at any point 50 feet from its exterior walls and roof (35.3.103(B)(2)); kennel and shelter structures must keep sound emitted to exterior walls and roofs at or below 45 decibels (35.3.104(A)(3)); veterinary clinics and emergency veterinary hospitals need noise attenuation walls between suites to prevent noise transmission above 45dB (35.3.103(EE)–(FF)); wireless communication facility support equipment must not exceed an average 55 dB (Ldn), A-weighted under Environmental Protection Agency procedures, at any property line zoned or used for residential purposes, and the same 55 dB (Ldn) applies to generators powering temporary cells on wheels unless the Development Services Director approves otherwise (35.3.105); residential development and other noise-sensitive uses within 1,320 feet of the Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) right-of-way need an approved sound attenuation plan so projected exterior freeway noise does not exceed (Leq) 62 dBA (35.2.802); and the Airport Impact Overlay requires principal buildings where people work or are received to be designed for a maximum interior noise level of 45 decibels (35.2.1004). A phone or meter reading can document how loud and how long a noise lasted, but for a noisy neighbor Glendale officers are not measuring it against a codified threshold.

What the ordinance actually says

Sec. 25-64(a): "It shall be unlawful for any person to make or continue, or cause or permit to be made or continued, any excessive, unnecessary or offensive noise that disturbs the peace and quiet or that causes discomfort or annoyance to two or more independent witnesses who are not related."

Sec. 25-66(a): "It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a radio receiving set, phonograph or sound producing or sound reproducing mechanism within the city, at any time in such a manner as to permit the same to be heard at a distance of more than one hundred twenty-five (125) feet from the premises where such radio receiving set, phonograph, or sound producing or sound reproducing mechanism is located, when the sound of such radio receiving set, phonograph, or sound producing or sound reproducing mechanism is operated in such a manner as to create an excessive, unnecessary or offensive noise that a reasonable person of normal sensitivity residing in the area is caused discomfort or annoyance."

Sec. 25-66(b): "It shall be unlawful for any person to operate or permit to be operated any radio receiving set, phonograph, or sound producing or sound reproducing mechanism, between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. within the city in such a manner that the sound from such radio set, phonograph, sound producing or sound reproducing mechanism may be heard off of the premises upon which it is operated in such a manner as to create an excessive, unnecessary or offensive noise that a reasonable person of normal sensitivity residing in the area is caused discomfort or annoyance."

Sec. 25-67(c)(1): "Except as authorized by law, no person shall operate or permit the operation of any sound amplification system in or on a vehicle which: (A) Can be heard outside the vehicle from fifty (50) or more feet; or (B) Annoys or disturbs the quiet, comfort or repose of any reasonable person in the vicinity; unless the system is being operated to request assistance of an emergency nature or to warn of a hazardous situation."

Sec. 25-24(f): "No person shall keep or harbor any animal that by frequent or habitual barking, howling, yelping, crowing or the making of other noises disturbs the peace and quiet of two (2) or more independent witnesses who are not related. For purposes of this section, "animal" means any bird or non-human mammal."

Sec. 25-63: "A violation of any provision of this article shall be deemed and is declared to be a public nuisance and any person who violates any of the provisions of this article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. Each day a violation continues or exists shall be a separate offense subject to punishment as a separate misdemeanor."

Sec. 25-68(b)(4): "Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, construction or repair work shall not begin prior to 7:00 a.m. and must stop by 7:00 p.m. and concrete pouring should not begin prior to 6:00 a.m. and must stop by 7:00 p.m. on any Saturday and Sunday, unless such other times are authorized by permit."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Code of the City of Glendale, Arizona 1985, Chapter 25 "Nuisances," Article V "Noise," Secs. 25-61 through 25-68 (Ord. No. 1567, § 2, 11-8-88, as amended; 25-64 by Ord. No. 2186, 2-27-01 and Ord. No. 2802, 5-22-12; 25-65 by Ord. No. O20-83, 12-8-20 and Ord. No. O22-81, 11-8-22; 25-66 by Ord. No. 2899, 6-24-14; 25-67 by Ord. No. O21-52, 8-10-21; 25-68 by Ord. No. O26-05, § 1, 1-27-26): 25-61 purpose, 25-62 definitions, 25-63 penalty, 25-64 excessive, unnecessary or offensive noise prohibited, 25-65 exemptions, 25-66 loud radios, sound sets, etc., 25-67 vehicular noise, 25-68 construction of buildings and other projects; with Sec. 25-24(f) (animal noise), Sec. 25-22 (repeat offenders), Article X Secs. 25-110 through 25-118 "Nuisance Parties and Unlawful Gatherings" (Ord. No. O23-01, 1-10-23), Sec. 24-94 (unnecessary vehicle noise), Sec. 27-56 (city-sponsored special events in parks), Sec. 9-2 (freeway sound mitigation), Sec. 1-7 (general penalty) and use conditions in Chapter 35, the Unified Development Code (including 35.3.302(E), mobile food vending). Text read on Municode, the City's code host (Supp. No. 115, codified through Ordinance No. O26-19, adopted April 14, 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 Glendale

Per glendaleaz.gov's Police Phone Directory, "The Glendale Police Department Communications Division can be reached by telephone on emergency and non-emergency phone lines 24 hours per day, 7 days per week": Emergency 9-1-1, Non-Emergency (623) 930-3000; the same directory lists City Code Compliance at (623) 930-3610. Per the Code Compliance "Common Inquiries" page, a concern can be reported by calling Code Compliance at 623-930-3610 or online through the Code Compliance Request for Service, and "Code Compliance handles barking dog nuisance concerns": an inspector provides information to the dog owner and "The complainant may be asked to complete a noise petition and provide supporting documentation." The City's Barking Dog Complaint Process brochure (glendaleaz.gov) says the reporting resident must include the dog's address and their own full name, address and telephone number, "Anonymous complaints are not accepted," the petition's logs and sound recording "are required by the prosecutor," and the complainant must ask a neighbor who does not live in the same household to fill out the petition as well. The brochure also states "Code Compliance enforces the noise ordinance" and lists "Report Barking Dog or Odor (623) 930-3610," but none of the Glendale pages read names a channel specifically for loud music or parties; violations of Article V are misdemeanors (25-63), and nuisance parties are handled by Glendale Police Officers, who issue the written notices that trigger police service fees (25-112). Sources: https://www.glendaleaz.gov/Community/City-Services/Police-Department/About-Us/Police-Phone-Directory, https://www.glendaleaz.gov/Community/City-Services/Code-Compliance/Common-Inquiries and https://www.glendaleaz.gov/files/assets/city/v/1/fieldops/documents/barkdog.pdf.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Glendale. 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) Two unrelated witnesses: the animal-noise rule in 25-24(f) requires disturbance of "the peace and quiet of two (2) or more independent witnesses who are not related," so on its text a single complainant, or several members of one family, is not enough, and the City's barking dog process asks the complainant to have a neighbor from another household complete the petition too and does not accept anonymous complaints. The general rule in 25-64(a) attaches the same two-unrelated-witness count to noise "that causes discomfort or annoyance"; its other clause, noise "that disturbs the peace and quiet," names no witness count. The music rules in 25-66 use a different test, a reasonable person of normal sensitivity residing in the area. (2) Penalties: Article V violations are public nuisances and misdemeanors, each day a separate offense (25-63); because no class is specified, Sec. 1-7 makes them Class 1 misdemeanors "punished as Class 1 misdemeanors under state law," which under A.R.S. §§ 13-707 and 13-802 means up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500, and a misdemeanor charge under 1-7 generally requires proof that the act was done intentionally, knowingly or recklessly. The City may instead treat a violation as a civil code infraction in City Court (1-7(c)). Under 25-64(b), subsequent police visits are cause for abatement and "will require a mandatory restitution assessment for the law enforcement subsequent response services as a term of the sentencing." (3) Vehicles: a car stereo heard 50 feet away is a Class 1 misdemeanor (25-67(f)); night-time vehicle repair in a residential area and defective, unmuffled or modified exhausts are civil offenses with a mandatory $100 fine for a first violation and $500 for a second in a twelve-month period, and any later offense in the same twelve-month period is charged as a Class 1 misdemeanor (25-67(e)); squealing tires and unmuffled engine brakes carry the same scale (24-94). Utility and government vehicles, and vehicles used for advertising in a parade or in a political or other special event permitted by the City, are exempt from the stereo rule (25-67(c)(2)). (4) Nuisance parties (Article X, Ord. No. O23-01): a Glendale police officer who finds a threat to the public peace, health, safety or welfare issues a written notice, and police service fees run $500 for a first response, $1,250 for a second and $2,500 for a third and each later response (25-115), where a second response counts if it comes within 180 days of the first and a third if it comes within 180 days of the second (25-112(b)); the owner is also assessed for second and later responses within 180 days of the first (25-112(a)); the next fee level can be assessed on any response if listed factors are found, such as minor in possession or minor in consumption, illegal drugs, weapons violations or felonious conduct (25-112(c)); permitting a nuisance party is a separate civil offense with a minimum fine of $750 for a first offense and $1,500 for a second or later offense within a year (25-116, and 25-117 for owners previously notified within 180 days); fees can be appealed within ten business days through the city clerk's office (25-114(f)). (5) Exemptions (25-65): safety signals and warning devices, emergency vehicles responding to emergencies and emergency work; heating and cooling equipment working to specification, unless it creates offensive noise to a reasonable person inside any sleeping or living area of a dwelling unit; muffled landscape equipment at any hour; non-amplified crowd noise from school, governmental or community group activities or organized sports; church chimes; trains; power plant equipment; City vehicles and facilities; farm equipment; aircraft under federal rules; and permissible fireworks outside the listed night hours. Events under a City special event or event permit are exempt from 25-66 while complying with the permit (25-66(d)), and participants in City-sponsored special events in a City park are exempt from Article V but must follow the parks and recreation director's noise restrictions (27-56). (6) Construction: 25-68(a) is expressly "Subject to the provisions of section 25-64," and a permit from the city manager or designee can allow work at different times and "at higher noise levels" (25-68(c)), revocable on complaint backed by substantial evidence of significant disturbance (25-68(d)). In 25-68(b)(2) the words "in, or within five hundred (500) feet of, a residential zone" appear only in the October-to-April sentence. Section 25-68 was last amended January 27, 2026 (Ord. No. O26-05). Arizona's A.R.S. § 9-500.52 bars cities from prohibiting permitted general construction from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. each business day and 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday between May 1 and October 15, and requires cities to allow concrete to be poured at least one hour before general construction is regularly scheduled to begin; Glendale's April 15 to October 15 hours already allow 5:00 a.m. starts and 4:00 a.m. concrete, and its weekend rule allows 7:00 a.m. work and 6:00 a.m. concrete. (7) Stale cross-references: the Article V footnote points to "Animal noise, § 6-5.1," but Sec. 6-5.1 was repealed by Ord. No. 2186 (2-27-01) and animal noise now sits in 25-24(f); Sec. 25-66 cross-references "Amplified sound in Thunderbird Park, § 27-93," but Secs. 27-90 through 27-100 are Reserved. (8) Repeat offenders: a responsible person with a confirmed history of violating Chapters 24 and/or 25 three or more times within the twelve-month period described in Sec. 25-22 commits a separate civil offense, fined $100 to $1,000 for a first offense and $150 to $1,000 for later offenses within that period (25-22(c)).

Document it before you report it

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