Call 311 to report a noise complaint
NEW YORK CITY NOISE CODE
The New York City Noise Code balances the important reputation of
New York as a vibrant, world-class city that never sleeps, with the
needs of those who live in, work in, and visit the city. In 2007 the City
updated the Noise Code for the rst time in 30 years to reect the
changing landscape and advances in acoustic technology.
Simply put, the Noise Code was created to reduce:
“The making, creation or maintenance of excessive and unreasonable
and prohibited noises within the city aects and is a menace to public
health, comfort, convenience, safety, welfare and the prosperity of the
people of the city.”
In order to enforce this objective, the New York City Department
of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the New York City Police
Department (NYPD) share duties based on the type of noise
complaint. To report a noise complaint, call 311 and they will direct
your grievance to the appropriate agency. For example, the NYPD
handles “neighbor to neighbor” noise complaints.
This booklet is designed to provide an overview of the Noise Code
and some of the most common sounds of the city. For more detailed
information about noise in the city and the law itself, please visit:
www.nyc.gov/dep and follow DEP at www.facebook.com/nycwater.
In addition, for educational modules relating to noise please visit:
www.nyc.gov/dep/sound-education.
SOUND MEASUREMENTS
Overview
The decibel (dB) is the universal unit of sound measurement and is
measured with a meter that registers sound pressure and displays
these readings on a sound level scale. Decibels are a logarithmic unit,
which means that a noise measuring 30 decibels is actually two times
louder than a noise registering at 20 decibels.
One challenge of measuring sound in the city is that there is a high
level of ambient sound, or background noise in an area. For example,
Times Square has high ambient sound levels, making it harder to
distinguish the source of a sound. The same sound in a residential
neighborhood may be easier to measure because there is less
ambient sound.
1