Dallas noise rules: barking dogs, construction hours and how to complain

At a glance

Quiet hours: No general quiet hours in Chapter 30. Construction near homes is limited to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays.
Who to call: Police non-emergency: 214-744-4444. Code Compliance: 311.
The law: Dallas City Code §§ 30-1, 30-2, 30-5. Read the code

Checked against official sources on 2026-10-16.

Dallas keeps its noise ordinance in Chapter 30 of the City Code. It is short. There are no residential decibel limits in it and no general quiet hours. It works mostly through one broad rule and a list of noises the city presumes are offensive.

The general rule

Section 30-1 says a person commits an offense by making or causing “any loud and disturbing noise or vibration in the city that is offensive to the ordinary sensibilities of the inhabitants of the city.” Vibration is named alongside noise, so bass you feel through a wall more than hear is covered.

Noises presumed offensive

Section 30-2 lists noises and vibrations that are presumed to be offensive to the ordinary sensibilities of the inhabitants, which is the test in § 30-1. The items most relevant to neighbors:

Music and TV (§ 30-2(2)): playing a radio, TV, phonograph or musical instrument “with such volume as to disturb the peace, quiet, comfort, or repose of persons in any dwelling, apartment, hotel, or other type of residence.”
Animals (§ 30-2(3)): continuous barking, howling, crowing or other loud animal noise for more than 15 minutes near a private residence that the owner has no right to occupy.
Car stereos (§ 30-2(13)): sound equipment in a vehicle that is so audible, or causes so much vibration, that it unreasonably disturbs another person.
Garbage collection (§ 30-2(12)): collecting garbage or refuse between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. on or within 300 feet of a residential use.

There is no time limit on the music rule. It applies whenever the volume disturbs people in a residence.

Barking dogs

The 15-minute rule in § 30-2(3) is the clearest test in the chapter. If you are logging a dog, write down when the barking starts and stops so you can show it ran continuously for more than 15 minutes.

Construction hours

Under § 30-2(8), construction, excavation, demolition, alteration or repair of a building on or next to a residential use is presumed offensive outside these hours:

7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and legal holidays

The listed legal holidays are New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The section does not list Sunday hours, so Sunday construction next to homes falls outside the allowed windows. The director of transportation and public works can issue a written permit for other hours in urgent cases.

Loudspeakers

Section 30-4 bars operating a loudspeaker or amplifier in a public place or on a public street within 150 feet of a residence except between 8 a.m. and sunset.

Who to contact

The Dallas Police Department lists 214-744-4444 for non-emergency calls. Call 911 for emergencies. Code Compliance takes reports through 311 from inside the city, or 214-670-3111 from outside; the department lists disturbing noises among the ordinances it enforces for short-term rentals.

Penalties

Unless a section says otherwise, an offense under Chapter 30 carries a criminal fine of up to $2,000, and each day or part of a day is a separate offense (§ 30-5(a)). The city may also sue in civil court for a penalty of up to $1,000 per day under Chapter 54 of the Texas Local Government Code (§ 30-5(b)).

Texas law

Texas Penal Code § 42.01(a)(5) makes it disorderly conduct, a Class C misdemeanor, to make unreasonable noise in a public place or in or near a private residence the person has no right to occupy. Noise over 85 decibels is presumed unreasonable once a magistrate or peace officer has given notice that it is a public nuisance (§ 42.01(c)(2)).

Keeping a record

With no decibel limits in Chapter 30, what tends to persuade a landlord, HOA or officer is a record of when the noise happened and how long it lasted. The Noisy Neighbor iPhone app keeps that record for each incident, with estimated sound levels, low-frequency vibration and your notes, and it can export a PDF report or a complaint letter. The levels are estimates from your phone, which is fine for a log since Dallas’s rules here do not depend on a reading.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-16. Laws change; check the official code before acting. Not legal advice.