Home / Cities / Indiana / Indianapolis

Indianapolis noise ordinance: quiet hours and who to call

Indianapolis covers neighbor noise in a single section of the Revised Code of Indianapolis and Marion County, § 391-302. It bans "unreasonable noise," then lists specific acts that also break the law. For music and similar devices, the section uses a simple test after 10 p.m.: can it be heard from another property?

What counts as unreasonable noise

Section 391-302(a) defines unreasonable noise as sound "of a volume, frequency, or pattern that prohibits, disrupts, injures, or endangers the health, safety, welfare, prosperity, comfort, or repose of reasonable persons of ordinary sensitivities within the city, given the time of day and environment in which the sound is made."

Section 391-302(b) makes it unlawful to make, continue or cause unreasonable noise. Under § 391-301(2), a violation may not be based on the content of a message or on who is making the noise.

Subsection (c) then lists specific acts. Several of them include the phrase "and continuing to do so after being asked to stop." For those, asking first is part of the offense.

Music, TVs and speakers

Section 391-302(c)(2) covers radios, TVs, media players, speakers, amplifiers, instruments and other sound devices. It applies when they make unreasonable noise, "and continuing to do so after being asked to stop."

It also lists three situations that the code calls prima facie evidence of a violation:

• Sound plainly audible to a person with normal hearing from any place other than the property it comes from, between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
• Sound plainly audible more than 75 feet from a device in a public street or public place
• Sound on a bus or other public conveyance (other than a taxi), unless the listener is using earplugs

There is no decibel limit for these. A permit for a special occasion is a defense.

Barking dogs and other animals

Section 391-302(c)(4) covers "the keeping of any animal or bird that makes unreasonable noise and the failure to prevent the continuation of the unreasonable noise after being asked to do so." The code does not give a time limit for barking, such as a set number of minutes.

Construction and heavy equipment

Building, demolishing, altering or repairing a building, or digging for one, is barred between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. (§ 391-302(c)(9)). There are two exceptions. One is urgent public safety work with a permit. The other is work the city's construction division approves after finding it won't harm public health and safety.

Pile drivers, steam shovels, air hammers, derricks and hoists have the same 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. limit (§ 391-302(c)(13)). Emergency utility repairs are an exception.

Other rules near homes

• Emptying a trash container larger than six cubic feet from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., if it can be heard from another property. The code treats this as evidence of a violation on its face (§ 391-302(c)(8)).
• Engines, blowers and power fans without a working muffler, used from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. where they can be heard off the property. This is also evidence of a violation on its face (§ 391-302(c)(6)).
• Ice cream trucks and other vendor vehicles may not play music or announcements in public streets between 10 p.m. and 10 a.m. (§ 391-302(c)(14)).

Who to contact

The indy.gov IMPD pages list 317-327-3811 for phone reports. The Contact IMPD page lists the Mayor's Action Center at 317-327-4622, and the IMPD online reporting page sends ordinance issues to the RequestIndy website. Call 911 if there is an emergency or a crime in progress.

For music or barking, it helps to have asked the neighbor to stop first, since several parts of § 391-302(c) depend on it.

Penalties

Section 391-302(d) sets the penalties:

• A first violation in any 12-month period can be settled by admitting it and paying the set civil penalty. That goes through the ordinance violations bureau under Chapter 103.
• A second violation in 12 months carries a fine of at least $250.
• A third or later violation in 12 months carries a fine of at least $500.

The section does not state the amount of the first-violation civil penalty, so it is not specified here.

Keeping a record

The 10 p.m. rule in Indianapolis is about whether you can hear it from your own property. So a dated log of when it happens and for how long is what an officer or landlord will want. The Noisy Neighbor iPhone app keeps that log, adds an estimated decibel level for each incident. It exports a PDF report or complaint letter.

Sources

• Revised Code of Indianapolis and Marion County Chapter 391, Article III, Noise (Municode)
• Revised Code § 391-302, Unlawful noises
• indy.gov: IMPD Community Online Reporting System
• indy.gov: Contact IMPD

Last checked October 17, 2026. Laws change, so check the official code before you act. This is not legal advice.