Noise Complaints in San Diego: Who to Call

This guide is for the City of San Diego. If the noise is coming from another city or an unincorporated area, see who to call below.

When to call 911 instead. SDPD's "When to Call 9-1-1" page says to call 911 if there is a danger to life or property or a hazard to the environment, a crime in progress or one that happened within the last 5 to 10 minutes, a medical emergency, or a fire. It lists noise complaints as an example of a call for the 24/7 non-emergency line, and says response times to non-emergency calls depend on the urgency of the situation, the likelihood of making an arrest and the availability of an officer.

For an ongoing conflict with a neighbor, SDPD suggests these steps:

• 1. Give a courtesy knock.
• 2. Contact the landlord if the neighbor rents.
• 3. File a noise complaint with SDPD while the noise is happening.
• 4. Try mediation. The National Conflict Resolution Center, at 619-238-2400, provides trained, impartial mediators.

Chronic party houses. SDPD runs a Community Assisted Party Program (CAPP) for houses with repeated party problems. According to SDPD, a house can be CAPP'd after two or more First Response Notices within 60 calendar days, a Second Response Notice (a second violation within 24 hours), a single Minor in Possession of alcohol citation or Social Host violation at a party, or a violent crime or misdemeanor or felony arrest resulting from a party. A house cannot be CAPP'd simply for parking, traffic or littering. Once a house is on the list, which lasts one year regardless of occupant changes, responsible parties receive an Administrative Citation for any valid follow-up noise complaint. SDPD says an Administrative Citation is a $1,000 civil fine that can be appealed, and that officers may issue one at any house at their discretion.

The Municipal Code gives a City Noise Abatement and Control Administrator the job of "regulating and controlling the emission of all excessive or offensive noises" in the City (section 59.5.0202). The code places that function in what it calls the Neighborhood Code Compliance Department (section 59.5.0201). Today, the City's own pages split noise complaints between the police and Development Services' Building & Land Use Enforcement division.

How to submit a Request for Investigation. Building & Land Use Enforcement takes requests through its online form, by mail using the Request for Investigation form (PDF), or by phone at 619-236-5500. Choosing "Noise Complaint" on the City's Get It Done page also leads to the Request for Investigation. A few things the division says to know:

• You will be asked if you have contacted the responsible party.
• It does not accept anonymous requests. Complainant information is kept confidential, but in rare instances the City may be required to reveal it in a judicial proceeding.
• With Alternative Compliance, a case is opened when the complaint is received, and after a brief review staff send information to both the alleged violator and the complainant.
• The division suggests contacting the responsible person first and lists the National Conflict Resolution Center (619-238-2400) to help start that conversation.

The City's noise rules are in San Diego Municipal Code Chapter 5, Article 9.5, "Noise Abatement and Control." The general rule (section 59.5.0501) makes it unlawful to make "any disturbing, excessive, or offensive noise which causes discomfort or annoyance to any reasonable person of normal sensitiveness residing in the area." Factors the code lists include the level of the noise, whether it is usual or unusual, the ambient noise, how close it is to sleeping areas, the zoning, the time of day or night, how long it lasts and whether it is recurrent, intermittent or constant.

Sound level limits by zone. Section 59.5.0401 sets one-hour average sound level limits, measured at or beyond the boundary of the property the noise comes from:

From San Diego Municipal Code section 59.5.0401, as of October 31, 2026. Time periods are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., and 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

On a boundary between two zones, the limit is the average of the two. The limits do not apply to activities authorized by a special event permit, development permit or other City permit or agreement, to fireworks displays permitted by the Fire Department, or to helicopters at permitted heliports. Other sections of the article cover noise near hospitals, schools, libraries and care facilities; radios on buses and trolleys; and sound devices in public parks, beaches and the parking lots and streets next to them, where the limit is 65 decibels from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 55 decibels from 7:01 p.m. to 6:59 a.m., measured 10 feet or more from the source.

Penalties. Section 59.5.0601 makes a violation of the article a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both, with each day a separate offense. Section 59.5.0604 lets the Administrator seek voluntary compliance first through a warning, notice or education.

• Daytime limit. From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., construction may not cause an average sound level greater than 75 decibels over the 12-hour period at or beyond the property line of any residentially zoned property. The code says this applies to "any person, including The City of San Diego."
• Emergency work. The 75-decibel limit does not apply to equipment used for emergency work, such as restoring property to a safe condition or utilities restoring service, if the Administrator is notified within 48 hours.
• Permitted night work. In deciding on a permit, the code says the Administrator considers things like whether night work would be less objectionable than daytime work, traffic impacts, how loud the work is, the character of the neighborhood and whether the work is in the general public interest, and can set conditions, working times, equipment and noise levels.

How to tell if night work is permitted. The City's Construction Noise Permit page says that once a permit is approved, a notice must be distributed at least 72 hours before construction starts to all residents, hotels, motels and businesses within 500 feet of the worksite, and a Notice of Pending Construction must be posted in a conspicuous place at the site. The code (section 59.5.0605) requires permits to be displayed or kept on the premises. The permit page describes the requirement as covering work between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays, Saturdays, and all day Sundays and holidays, which is broader than the code text quoted above.

Reporting it. The City does not list a single hotline for after-hours construction. What its pages say: the Construction Noise Permit page states that permits "may be revoked or denied by the Noise Abatement Administrator for violations," and that "The San Diego Police Department can also revoke the Construction Noise Permit if complaints are reported to SDPD alleging excessive noise that creates a public nuisance." For machinery or equipment noise in general, SDPD and Building & Land Use Enforcement direct residents to a Request for Investigation.

What the City does. Building & Land Use Enforcement says it "does not respond to barking dogs in person," but when a complaint is received, staff open an Alternative Compliance case and send letters to the complainant and the alleged violator with details of the complaint and guidance for resolving it. The letters are valid for 12 months from their date. San Diego Humane Society, which lists barking dog and animal noise complaints among the things its Humane Law Enforcement team handles, links City of San Diego residents to the City's Request for Investigation.

What the law says. Municipal Code section 59.5.0502(c) makes it unlawful to keep an animal that "by any frequent or long-continued noise, shall cause annoyance or discomfort to a reasonable person of normal sensitiveness in the vicinity." Noise that disturbs two or more residents in separate homes next to the property, or three or more residents in separate homes close by, is prima facie evidence of a violation.

For stray, dangerous or injured animals, see our dead and stray animals guide.

• Car and building alarms. SDPD says to call 619-531-2000 while a vehicle alarm is going off. Municipal Code section 59.5.0503 prohibits audible burglar alarms on buildings or vehicles "unless the operation of such burglar alarms can be terminated within 20 minutes of being activated," allows SDPD officers to take reasonable steps to disconnect an alarm while it is sounding, and requires buildings and vehicles with alarms to display a phone number for reaching the owner.
• Leaf blowers. Under section 59.5.0502(g), no one may operate a leaf blower in a residentially zoned area between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. on weekdays, or between 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. on weekends and legal holidays. Leaf blowers may not exceed 65 decibels measured at 50 feet or more and must have working mufflers and a sound-limiting device. Debris they blow must be cleaned up and disposed of properly.
• Trash trucks and parking lot sweepers. Section 59.5.0406 bars refuse compacting, processing or collection vehicles in residential areas between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m., and parking lot sweepers between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., unless the Administrator has granted a permit. For missed pickups and other collection problems, see our trash and recycling guide.
• Horns. Section 59.5.0502(a) lists "unnecessary use or operation of horns, signaling devices, or other similar devices" on vehicles as disturbing noise.

For flights at San Diego International Airport (SAN), contact the Airport's noise office. The Airport says it "maintains a system for collecting, analyzing, and responding to noise complaints" and lists three ways to file one:

• Online: through WebTrak, which also shows near real-time flight paths, altitudes and recorded noise levels.
• App: a web app the Airport links from its Aircraft Noise page, using the same login as the WebTrak complaint form.
• Phone: (619) 400-2799. The noise office lists hours of Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The nighttime curfew. The Airport says SAN "operates under a nighttime noise curfew that prohibits departures between 11:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m." A Curfew Violation Review Panel reviews possible violations, decides whether exemptions apply (for example, medical emergencies or air traffic control delays) and can assess penalties.

Other programs the Airport lists: an Airport Noise Advisory Committee (ANAC) that meets quarterly in public, with a meeting scheduled for November 18, 2026 at 4 p.m.; 23 permanent noise monitors; a Portable Noise Monitoring Program that places short-term monitors at homes or businesses; and quarterly noise reports with complaint statistics.

For other problems you can report to the City, see our guide to reporting a problem to the City of San Diego. For stray, injured or dangerous animals, see our dead and stray animals guide.