Noise ordinances › San Antonio, TX

San Antonio noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: August 11, 2026

Quiet hours in San Antonio

Sec. 21-51 defines "Nighttime" as 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday, with the mirror-image "Daytime/evening" running 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday. San Antonio does not impose a flat night-time ban on noise; instead the nighttime designation triggers the Table 1 correction in Sec. 21-52(b), which subtracts 7 dB from the permitted level. That correction has a narrow reach: Sec. 21-52(b) applies it only to subsections 21-52(a)(10) through (12) and section 21-60(b), which are the business (70 dB), industrial (72 dB) and entertainment (85 dB Leq) limits plus the River Walk standards, and the nighttime correction specifically is disapplied inside the River Walk area. The residential limit in Sec. 21-52(a)(9) is not on that list, so on the face of the code the 63 dB residential figure is the same at 2:00 a.m. as it is at 2:00 p.m. Several non-official summaries state a 56 dB residential night limit; that number does not appear anywhere in the ordinance, and a resident should not rely on it. Construction hours are set separately and are stricter: under Sec. 21-52(a)(6)a., as amended in February 2022, exterior construction, excavation, demolition, alteration and repair work may only take place between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, and the ordinance adds "except on legal holidays as defined in section 21-51" (New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas), which is read as no permitted construction window on those days. Limited heavy-machinery and construction-equipment repairs may run 30 minutes either side of those hours but never past 10:00 p.m. Separately, a River Walk establishment declared a habitual noise nuisance must keep its windows and doors shut after 10:00 p.m. for 90 days, except as necessary for entry and exit.

Decibel limits

San Antonio sets numeric limits by the zoning district of the property the noise is coming from, measured from property under separate ownership (Sec. 21-52(a)(9)-(12)): 63 decibels on residential-zoned property, 70 decibels on business-zoned property, 72 decibels on industrial-zoned property, and 85 decibels using the Leq (two-hour average) method for entertainment-zoned property. Zoning districts are those defined by Chapter 35, the Unified Development Code. Construction and demolition work carries its own cap of 80 dBA at or across a real property boundary, at any time of day (Sec. 21-52(a)(6)c.). The River Walk area is carved out of the business, industrial and entertainment limits entirely (Sec. 21-52(c) disapplies (a)(10) through (12) there) and is governed instead by Sec. 21-60, which sets a dual limit of 72 dBA and 80 dBC that an establishment must satisfy under both weightings; note that the residential limit in (a)(9) is not carved out. Air-conditioning units, heat pumps and swimming pool machinery are exempt so long as they stay under 63 dBA on residential property or 70 dBA on non-residential property, measured 15 feet from the equipment or at the nearest exterior wall of a building under separate ownership, whichever is shorter (Sec. 21-55(6)). Measurements must be taken with an ANSI-compliant, calibrated meter fitted with a windscreen; traffic, aircraft, other transportation noise and other background noise are excluded from the reading except where that background noise interferes with the primary noise being measured (Sec. 21-56). Table 1 in Sec. 21-52(b) then adjusts the permitted level: subtract 7 dB when the noise occurs at nighttime, subtract another 7 dB if it contains strong pure-tone components or is impulsive (meter reading changing faster than 10 dB per second), and add 10 dB for noise intermittent enough to meet the on-time/off-time thresholds in the table. Read literally, Sec. 21-52(b) applies those corrections only to "subsections 21-52(a)(10) through (12) and section 21-60(b)", the business, industrial and entertainment limits, so the codified text does not on its face apply the 7 dB nighttime reduction to the residential 63 dB figure. Several non-official summaries state a 56 dB residential night limit; that number does not appear anywhere in the ordinance, and a resident should not rely on it.

What the ordinance actually says

Sec. 21-51: "Nighttime shall mean the hours between ten o'clock (10:00) p.m. and six o'clock (6:00) a.m., Sunday through Thursday and eleven o'clock (11:00) p.m. and six o'clock (6:00) a.m. Friday and Saturday."

Sec. 21-51: "Daytime/evening shall mean the hours between six o'clock a.m. and ten o'clock p.m., Sunday through Thursday and six o'clock a.m. and eleven o'clock p.m. Friday and Saturday."

Sec. 21-52(a)(9): "The making of noise which exceeds sixty-three (63) decibels on residential zoned property as defined by chapter 35 (Unified Development Code), when measured from property under separate ownership."

Sec. 21-52(a)(10): "The making of noise which exceeds seventy (70) decibels on business zoned property as defined by chapter 35 (Unified Development Code), when measured from property under separate ownership."

Sec. 21-52(a)(11): "The making of noise which exceeds seventy-two (72) decibels on industrial zoned property as defined by chapter 35 (Unified Development Code), when measured from property under separate ownership."

Sec. 21-52(a)(6)a.: "Other than during the hours between seven o'clock (7:00) a.m. and eight o'clock (8:00) p.m. on Monday through Friday and eight o'clock (8:00) a.m. and eight o'clock (8:00) p.m. on Saturday and nine o'clock (9:00) a.m. and five o'clock (5:00) p.m. on Sunday, except on legal holidays as defined in section 21-51; or"

Sec. 21-52(a)(6)c.: "At any time such that the sound level at or across a real property boundary exceeds eighty (80) dBA; or"

Sec. 21-52(b): "Corrections shall be made to the basic octave band levels specified in subsections 21-52(a)(10) through (12) and section 21-60(b) for the specific conditions listed in accordance with the following table, designated as Table 1, except that nighttime corrections shall not apply in the River Walk area."

Sec. 21-52(c): "River Walk Area corrections. Subsections (a)(10) through (12) above shall not apply in the River Walk Area, which shall be, regulated by the noise provisions in section 21-60."

Sec. 21-54: "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. A culpable mental state is not necessary to constitute a violation of this section."

Sec. 21-55(6): "Sound produced by the operation of any air-conditioning unit, heat pump, or swimming pool machinery which does not produce a sound exceeding sixty-three (63) dBA on residential property or seventy (70) dBA on non-residential property, when measured at a distance of either fifteen (15) feet from the equipment producing the sound, or to the nearest exterior wall of a residential or commercial building under separate ownership, whichever distance is shorter."

Sec. 21-60(2): "To create or allow the creation of noise from the establishment which exceeds a decibel level of seventy-two (72) dBA using the A frequency weighting and eighty (80) dBC using the C frequency weighting. This section is intended to prohibit the stated noise levels under both frequency measurements; and"

Sec. 21-66(a): "All territory embraced within a distance of two hundred and fifty (250) feet of the real property upon which is situated any public or private school or institution of learning is hereby declared to be \"Quiet Zone\" during the period of time the schools and institutions of learning are in session."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (San Antonio, Texas, Code of Ordinances, Chapter 21 (Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions), Article III (Noise). Division 1 (Generally): Sec. 21-51 definitions and standards (A-weighted sound level, Daytime/evening, Impulsive sound, Legal holidays, Leq, Nighttime, Noise nuisance, Sound level, Sound level meter); Sec. 21-52 noise nuisance enumeration (the operating section: (a)(1)-(8) enumerated nuisance acts, (a)(6) construction hours plus the 80 dBA construction cap and the waiver and 300-foot notification regime, (a)(9)-(12) the numeric dB limits by zoning district, (b) Table 1 special noise corrections, (c) River Walk Area corrections); Sec. 21-53 vibration; Sec. 21-54 vehicular mounted sound amplification systems (30-foot audibility test); Sec. 21-55 exceptions (including the 63/70 dBA air-conditioner and pool-equipment allowance at (6)); Sec. 21-56 method of noise measurement (ANSI-standard meter); Sec. 21-57 enforcement (administrative stop orders, seizure of noise-producing property, habitual noise nuisance declarations, animal impoundment); Sec. 21-58 penalties; Sec. 21-59 identification of violator; Sec. 21-60 River Walk standards (72 dBA and 80 dBC); Sec. 21-61 appointment of abatement officers. Division 2 (Quiet Zones): Secs. 21-66 to 21-68 (250-foot quiet zones around schools and hospitals). Division 3 (Party, Gathering, Event): Secs. 21-80 to 21-84 (cost recovery for repeat police responses). Article III was repealed and reenacted by Ord. No. 94706, § 1(Attach. A) (9-13-01); Secs. 21-51 and 21-52 were most recently amended by Ord. No. 2022-02-17-0112, § 1 (2-17-22), the construction-noise amendment. Municode displays VERSION: JUL 7, 2026 (CURRENT).). 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 San Antonio

Call 311, the San Antonio Police Department at (210) 207-7273, or DSD/Code Enforcement at (210) 207-1111, and request that an officer be sent to your location to investigate. The city's own "Noise Nuisance Procedure" one-pager lists exactly those three channels and explains that an investigative report by the responding department is required, and that the details must be tied to a specific date the nuisance occurred, because a criminal case has to be filed for a specific date even if the problem is ongoing. Give the responding officer the frequency and duration of the noise, the time of day, the volume and intensity, a description of the noise (loud music, live band, loud party), a description of how it disturbed or annoyed you (unable to sleep, rest, work, study, or enjoy quiet comfort at home), the name, phone and address of any other witnesses for that date, and whether you have audio recordings or other evidence. The officer forwards the report to the Prosecution office; if there is sufficient evidence the case is filed and the defendant is summoned to Municipal Court, and you must be listed as the complainant and be able to testify at trial. For status, contact the SAPD substation at (210) 207-7410 or Code Enforcement at (210) 207-1111 with the case/report number the responding officer gave you.

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

Worth knowing

Zoning-dependent limits: the number that applies depends on the Chapter 35 zoning of the property producing the noise, not on where the complainant lives, so a resident next to a business-zoned lot is measured against 70 dB rather than 63 dB. River Walk carve-out: Sec. 21-52(c) removes the business, industrial and entertainment limits inside the River Walk area entirely, replacing them with Sec. 21-60's dual 72 dBA / 80 dBC test, and the 7 dB nighttime correction expressly does not apply there; Sec. 21-60 also bans speakers or amplified music placed outside the enclosed building where they can be seen from the San Antonio River. Entertainment-district measurement gaming is addressed: Sec. 21-52(a)(12) provides that adjacent property owned, leased, controlled or managed by an affiliate of the monitored property's owner does not count as "property under separate ownership". Construction regime (Ord. No. 2022-02-17-0112, the February 2022 amendment): work outside the permitted hours needs a waiver from the building official, requested at least one business day ahead and issued for maximum one-week intervals, and where the site is within 300 feet of an occupied residential structure, written notice by flyer or door hanger with a contact name and number must be delivered at least 72 hours before work starts and posted at the job site; notice to an HOA, neighborhood association or management company counts as notice to everyone in a gated community or apartment complex. There is a builder-friendly exception for a newly constructed residential subdivision with an operational sales office where not more than 95 percent of new homes have been sold. Concrete pours are also carved out where the notification process, when required, has been performed. Separate vehicle provision: Sec. 21-54 uses a plainly-audible-at-30-feet test for car stereos, with no culpable mental state required, and also catches perceptible vibration outside the vehicle. Separate animal provision: Sec. 21-52(a)(3) covers animals making frequent or long continued noise, and Sec. 21-57(c) allows impoundment after two occasions, with destruction if the animal is not reclaimed on or before ten days of impoundment. Vibration: Sec. 21-53 bans any ground or airborne vibration perceptible without instruments at an adjoining property. Quiet zones: 250 feet around schools while in session and around hospitals and sanitariums at all times (Secs. 21-66 to 21-68). Escalating enforcement: a magistrate can declare a person a "habitual noise nuisance producer" or a location a "habitual noise nuisance source" after violations on three separate days in a 12-month period, after which the noise-producing equipment can be seized at the next violation and held at least 24 hours (Sec. 21-57). Party cost recovery: under Secs. 21-80 to 21-83 a person responsible for a gathering of five or more people causing a substantial disturbance is liable for the reasonable cost of a second or subsequent police response within 60 days, capped at $1,000 per response and including a $150 administrative fee; costs are waived if the responsible person called the police themselves and helped disperse the gathering. Penalties: a Class C misdemeanor carrying $100 to $500 with no culpable mental state required, rising to $100-$2,000 where the violation was intentional, knowing or reckless, with a $200 minimum on a second conviction and a $300 minimum on a third and each conviction after, and each day a separate offense (Sec. 21-58). Broad exemptions in Sec. 21-55 cover emergency sound, emergency vehicles, vehicle motors moving on a right-of-way, government functions, scheduled stadium events, permitted parades, city-sponsored outdoor celebrations, approved pyrotechnics and historical battle reenactments, and sound encouraging citizen participation in elections. Article III carries an editor's State Law reference to "Prevention of noises by automobiles, Vernon's Ann. Civ. St. art. 6701d, §§ 133, 134" (a superseded civil-statutes citation, since recodified into the Transportation Code); this is a cross-reference note only and states no preemption rule.

Document it before you report it

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