Boston Noise Ordinance: Limits, Quiet Hours & How to File a Complaint

How Boston decides what counts as too loud

Boston is unusually clear-cut: a single pair of numeric thresholds applies citywide, measured no closer than the lot line or the nearest affected dwelling.

Noise limits in Boston

What's specific to Boston

• The flat 50/70 dBA structure makes Boston one of the easier cities to document with a meter — the reading itself can establish the violation.
• Measure at the lot line or inside the affected dwelling, not next to the source, or the reading will not match the standard.

What Boston residents most often report

• Bar and restaurant noise in dense neighbourhoods such as Allston and the North End.
• Construction outside permitted hours, enforced by the Environment Department.
• Car alarms and amplification devices, which the code addresses specifically.

How to measure it in Boston

Boston is the easiest of these cities to document because the number is absolute. Measure at your lot line or inside the affected dwelling — explicitly not closer to the source — and compare against 70 dBA, or 50 dBA between 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM. A reading taken next to the source will overstate the level and will not match the standard the inspector applies.

Record levels with the free online decibel meter, and log the date, start time and duration with each reading. A phone microphone is accurate to roughly ±2 dB and is not a calibrated instrument — enough to establish a pattern, not enough for an enforcement hearing.

Penalties in Boston

Fines per violation, with the Environment Department and Boston Police both able to enforce.

How to file a noise complaint in Boston

BOS:311 for most noise; Boston Police for loud parties. The Environment Department enforces the noise regulations.

BOS:311 →

Noise ordinances in other metros

See all US metro noise ordinances or read how many decibels is too loud.