Can You Take Your Noisy Neighbor to Court in New York State? (2024)

FAQs

Can You Take Your Noisy Neighbor to Court in New York State? ›

The answer is yes, but make sure to save your evidence! Evidence is key to being successful in small claims. More on evidence below. You must also be able to determine how much you are suing for as you cannot just file the lawsuit to stop your neighbor from being loud.

If the noise can be heard in the next apartment after 10 pm and before 8 am, call the police and report it since it violates the law. if you make noise during the “quiet hours” your lease shows how you will be evicted. Violation of your lease will have you in housing court.

If your neighbor keeps disturbing you, you can sue, and ask the court for money damages or to order the neighbor to stop the noise ("abate the nuisance," in legal terms).

Luckily, the noise laws in NYC set a more enforceable standard in order to reduce unreasonable noise coming from refuse collection vehicles. Quiet Hours NYC- Again, according to local laws, quiet hours in NYC are from 10 pm to 7 am. There can be fines in place for those found violating these laws.

Any noise exceeding 70 dB is considered disturbing. Residential limits usually start at 60 or 55 dB (the equivalent noise of a regular vacuum cleaner).

Noisy neighbor is a term that is often applied to general architecture patterns and strategies. The idea behind noisy neighbor is that a user of a system could place load on the system's resources that could have an adverse effect on other users of the system.

Almost any old sound recorder will do the trick in terms of letting the building supervisor hear the nature of the issue. If you want to get a little more scientific about it, in addition to the recordings you make, you could rent or buy an SPL meter.

Do you have noisy neighbours or construction sites disturbing your peace? The Noise App is here to help! Download the app, easily record audio or video evidence and submit it to your housing provider or community safety team. The app allows you to report complaints at any time, and keeps track of your submissions.

How to measure noise level from neighbours? ›

We recommend using a decibel meter to read the noise level on your property line and beyond your property line.

Report a noisy neighbor.

Officers from the New York Police Department (NYPD) will respond within 8 hours when they are not handling emergencies. They will be able to take action if the noise is still happening when they arrive.

Tenants in New York are granted the fundamental "Right to Quiet Enjoyment," a principle enshrined in tenancy laws that serves as their shield against disturbances by landlords. This right encompasses freedom from landlord harassment and the guarantee of personal peace within the confines of one's home.

You can ask your local council for help if the neighbour dispute involves an activity that is damaging to health or a nuisance. This is known as a 'statutory nuisance'. This could include: noise (including loud music and barking dogs)

Night-time limits are quieter. Between 10 pm and 7 am weekdays, and between 10 pm and 9 am weekends, these decibel limits are 10 decibels less. Also, noise must not be a public nuisance noise that disturbs a community or neighborhood.

In some states, driving with overly loud music on your car's radio is a traffic infraction. New York is not one of these states, though. Consequently, officers cannot write you a citation for blasting your music. They can cite you for disturbing the peace, however.

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Police Department (NYPD) share the duties of enforcing the Noise Code. To submit a noise complaint, call or contact 311, or you can file a noise complaint online.

Yes, playing loud music or creating excessive noise after 11:00 PM in New York City is generally illegal.