NYC Noise Complaint Lookup

Two ways. On DwellCheck, enter the street address and the report's Nuisance section shows how many 311 noise complaints were filed within 100 meters of it in the past 6 months, where that count ranks among 100 sampled spots in the same neighborhood, and the neighborhood and borough averages. On NYC Open Data, open the 311 Service Requests dataset (erm2-nwe9) and filter "Complaint Type" to the noise types and "Incident Address" to the address — that gives you the individual complaint rows, including descriptor and date, which DwellCheck does not list.

Six 311 complaint types are counted here: "Noise - Residential", "Noise - Commercial", "Noise - Street/Sidewalk", "Noise - Vehicle", "Noise - Park", "Noise". Between them they cover loud music and parties, banging and pounding, loud talking, car horns and engine idling, and — under the plain "Noise" type — construction outside permitted hours, alarms, barking dogs and air-conditioning or ventilation equipment. Helicopter, house-of-worship and collection-truck noise complaints are separate 311 types and are not counted. These are the same six types the DwellCheck address report counts.

No. The report shows the total count within 100 meters over the past 6 months, the rank of that count among the neighborhood's sampled spots, and the neighborhood and borough averages. It does not list individual complaint rows for the noise check and does not break the count down by complaint type. For the row-level detail — date, descriptor, resolution — search the 311 Service Requests dataset (erm2-nwe9) on NYC Open Data directly.

No, and this is the single most important limit of the data. 311 records complaints people chose to file. It is not a sound measurement, DwellCheck holds no decibel readings, and nothing in this product measures sound. A block where neighbors complain readily will out-score a genuinely louder block where nobody bothers. Treat the count as a report of how much noise annoys people nearby, not as a loudness reading.

Once there are 3 or more noise complaints within 100 meters in the past 6 months, the score loses 1 point per complaint — all of them, not only those above the threshold — capped at 8 points total. Fewer than 3 costs nothing. A separate check subtracts 5 points when DOB has an issued after-hours construction variance with a night still to come within 200 meters. Every rule and point value is on the methodology page.

Fordham Heights (Bronx). At the median of 100 random points sampled inside it, 187 noise complaints were filed within 100 meters between March 13, 2026 and September 13, 2026, against a citywide median of 8. The full 15-neighborhood ranking is in the noisiest NYC neighborhoods guide.

NYC Open Data publishes 311 service requests from 2010 to the present, so the raw history goes back roughly fifteen years and you can query any of it yourself. DwellCheck deliberately counts only the past 6 months: noise is a property of who currently lives, drives and drinks nearby, and a complaint from 2014 says nothing about the block today.

Not by itself. High counts track nightlife strips, busy commercial corridors, construction and dense housing — desirable to some renters and a dealbreaker to others. What matters is the kind of noise, the time of day it happens, and which side of the building the apartment is on. Use the count to decide what to ask about and when to visit, not as a verdict.

No. 311 service requests are public records published by the City of New York under its open-data policy, and searching them is anonymous — there is no notification to anyone, and no account is required on NYC Open Data or on DwellCheck. Filing a new 311 complaint can also be done anonymously.

Call 311, use the 311 mobile app, or file at portal.311.nyc.gov. Pick the noise type that matches (residential, commercial, street/sidewalk, vehicle, park, or general noise) and give the address and, for indoor noise, the apartment. Filings can be anonymous. Ongoing after-hours construction noise is worth checking against the DOB after-hours variance record first — if the work is permitted for those hours, a noise complaint will not stop it.