Houston noise rules: quiet hours, decibel limits and how to complain

At a glance

Quiet hours: Nighttime hours are 10:01 p.m. to 7:59 a.m.
Who to call: HPD non-emergency: 713-884-3131. City services: 311.
The law: Houston Code of Ordinances ch. 30. Read the code

Checked against official sources on 2026-10-16.

Houston’s noise rules are in Chapter 30 of the Code of Ordinances, “Noise and Sound Level Regulation.” The city rewrote the chapter in 2022, and the city’s Administration and Regulatory Affairs department says the amendments took effect September 6, 2022. Houston is one of the few big cities where the neighbor rules come with plain decibel numbers.

Daytime and nighttime

Section 30-1 defines daytime hours as 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and nighttime hours as 10:01 p.m. to 7:59 a.m. The definitions are the same every day of the week. Weekends do not get different hours for residential limits.

Decibel limits

Under § 30-5(a), sound that crosses the property line may not exceed these levels, measured at the property line of the property receiving the sound:

Residential property: 65 dB(A) during daytime hours, 58 dB(A) during nighttime hours
Nonresidential property: 68 dB(A) at all times

Going over these levels is prima facie evidence of a violation. Section 30-5(b) adds a rule that will sound familiar to anyone with a bass-heavy neighbor: if the sound makes people on another property aware of vibration or resonance, that is also prima facie evidence of a violation, whatever the meter says.

The city’s FAQ says that when HPD responds and takes a reading, it measures from your property line toward the source of the sound. Section 30-6 requires a calibrated Type 1 or Type 2 meter.

The general rule

Without a meter, § 30-2 still bars “any loud, unnecessary, or unusual sound or noise” that disturbs the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of others. Factors include the time of day, how close the source is to homes, whether it repeats, how loud it is, whether it is amplified, and whether it could be controlled without unreasonable effort.

Barking dogs and other animals

Section 30-3 bans keeping any animal or bird that makes “frequent or long and continued” sound that unreasonably disturbs people of normal sensibilities living nearby. This applies even if the sound stays under the decibel limits in § 30-5. The code does not set a minute count.

Car stereos

Under § 30-7, amplified sound from a vehicle is a violation if it disturbs neighbors or is plainly audible 50 feet from the vehicle.

Construction and yard work

Construction noise is not given a separate ban. Instead, § 30-16 makes it a defense if construction or demolition happened between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. and stayed at or below 85 dB(A) at the receiving residential property line. The same 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. window and 85 dB(A) cap apply to saws, drills, lawn mowers and similar tools used to maintain the property. Air conditioners are a defense up to 65 dB(A) on residential property.

Put the other way: power tools or construction before 7 a.m. or after 8 p.m. lose that defense.

Who to contact

HPD takes non-emergency calls at 713-884-3131 for locations inside Houston city limits. Dial 911 for emergencies. Houston 311 is at 311 or 713-837-0311 for other city services.

Penalties

A violation is punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, and each hour or part of an hour that the violation continues is a separate offense (§ 30-17).

Texas law

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

Keeping a record

Houston’s 58 dB(A) nighttime limit gives you a number to compare against, but the official reading has to come from a calibrated meter at your property line. The Noisy Neighbor iPhone app gives you an estimate in the moment and keeps a dated log of each incident, including low-frequency vibration, which lines up with the vibration rule in § 30-5(b). You can export the log as a PDF report or a complaint letter for your landlord, HOA or property manager. Treat the phone’s numbers as estimates.

Sources

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