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How to make a noise complaint in Leeds

Report noise to Leeds City Council online; its Leeds Anti-Social Behaviour Team handles domestic noise and should get back to you within 10 working days, or within 24 hours if it is an emergency. Leeds has had no citywide night noise service since 1 October 2024. Call 999 if someone is in danger or a crime is happening.

Last updated: November 8, 2026

How to report noise to Leeds City Council

Reporting routes, from the council's own pages
Route	Details
Online	The noise complaint form: "Tell us about your noise problem and we will let you know if you should report it to us." Commercial noise has its own form.
Phone	0113 222 4402, the antisocial behaviour and noise line
At night	No citywide service since 1 October 2024; parts of LS2, LS3, LS4 and LS6 have a separate night line, 0113 376 0337
Danger or a crime happening now	West Yorkshire Police on 999; dangerous driving on 101
Fireworks misuse	West Yorkshire Police
Housing Leeds tenants	The same route; "Noise from Housing Leeds tenants is a tenancy management issue"

Sources: the council's noise complaint page and online form, report antisocial behaviour, and its ASB and noise service offer (April 2026). The page currently carries a banner: "We are experiencing a high volume of noise nuisance reports and are prioritising based on vulnerability and risk."

No night service since October 2024

Leeds used to send officers out at night to witness noise. A council notice of September 2024 said "the dedicated out of hours noise nuisance witnessing service will cease. This will take effect from 1st October 2024." The Yorkshire Evening Post reported the plan as saving "£72,000 a year" on a service that had taken 7,480 calls in 2022/23. Belle Isle's tenant management organisation now tells residents "There is no out of hours noise nuisance response service."

The exception is the Dedicated Noise Service, which the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University fund and the council runs, covering neighbourhoods with large student populations "including Headingley, Hyde Park, Woodhouse, Little Woodhouse and Burley". Its number is 0113 376 0337; the council and the university give different hours, so check the university page before relying on it.

What happens after you report

"If we think your complaint is an emergency we will contact you within 24 hours"; otherwise "within 10 working days". The council "might ask you to complete a noise diary", may use monitoring equipment where other evidence has been tried and it is proportionate, and "may issue an abatement notice". It does not take anonymous reports. Leeds treats noise "coming from houses, gardens and a street or other public area" as domestic statutory noise nuisance. For a Housing Leeds tenant, the council says causing noise nuisance "is a breach of tenancy" and can lead to possession proceedings.

What Leeds will not deal with

Everyday living noise "such as road traffic noise, children playing, or the use of household appliances like washing machines or TVs" is not usually a statutory nuisance "unless it is excessive or prolonged". It does not deal with dogs "that bark for a few minutes at a time, especially if the barking happens mostly during the day". Bin collections run from 6.30 a.m. on weekdays and cannot be reported as a nuisance. Train noise is not the council's; aircraft noise and drones go to the Civil Aviation Authority, and noise at work to the Health and Safety Executive.

Building work and DIY hours in Leeds

Construction is "restricted to certain hours: Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm; Saturdays 8am to 1pm", and "should not take place on Sundays or bank holidays. Unplanned emergency works can sometimes happen." For DIY at home the council's guidance is reasonable hours, "usually between 7am to 8pm".

The law behind a noise complaint in Leeds

Noise from homes is a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which the council must investigate at any hour; there is no daytime decibel limit. From 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. the Noise Act 1996 also lets it act on noise above 34 dBA measured inside your home. The UK guide to reporting noisy neighbours covers the steps, notices and fines, and UK noise laws the hours; for particular noise see barking dogs, loud music and builders' hours. A reading from the free online decibel meter can sit beside each entry in your diary; the council measures with its own equipment.

Sources

Leeds City Council: making a noise complaint, if a complaint is made about you, report antisocial behaviour and the online form, read 2026-11-08; the council's ASB and noise service offer (April 2026), as hosted by Belle Isle TMO, and BITMO's page; the September 2024 council notice of the night service's end, as published by a councillor, and the Yorkshire Evening Post of 12 February 2024, both read from Internet Archive copies; the University of Leeds on the Dedicated Noise Service. All read 2026-11-08. This page is a plain-language summary, not legal advice; the legislation and Leeds City Council's decisions control.

Who do I call about noise at night in Leeds?

Outside the student areas there is no council night line: the out-of-hours noise service ended on 1 October 2024. Report it online and note the times in a diary. In parts of LS2, LS3, LS4 and LS6 the Dedicated Noise Service is on 0113 376 0337. If anyone is in danger, call 999.

How long does Leeds City Council take to respond to a noise complaint?

The council says it should get back to you within 10 working days, or within 24 hours if it thinks the complaint is an emergency. It currently warns of a high volume of reports and prioritises by vulnerability and risk.

What time can builders work in Leeds?

8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, with no construction on Sundays or bank holidays, apart from unplanned emergency work.

UK noise guides and other councils

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