You are tired of the noise of your neighbors and you wonder what you can do? Here’s how to end the nuisances.
Music too strong, cries, arguments, repetitive barking, late festivals, noisy works in the evening … Neighborhood noises can quickly become a hell and it is completely normal to want to end it. If in most cases, it is enough to chat with the neighbor in question to bring down the decibels, certain situations can become more complicated and it will then be necessary to appeal to the police to stop the nuisances. According to article R.1334-31 of the public health code, a noise is prohibited day and night as soon as it infringes the tranquility of the neighborhood, but there is a specific time to which the disorders are considered to be nocturnal noise. And in this case, the sanctions will be more severe.
When your neighbor makes too much noise and the dialogue does not work, calling the police or the gendarmerie can be a first option to stop the trouble. During the day, the noise must be abnormal and persistent and several people complain so that the police move. In order for the police to consider the disorder as nocturnal noise, it will take a specific hour that the municipal and prefectural regulations have taken as a reference for decades. Before it, most people can still have a noisy activity, but afterwards, the majority of workers and families sleep and the noise therefore becomes more problematic. The penal code (article R.623-2) considers that an annoying noise from 10 p.m. can be sanctioned as nocturnal noise. And this will also be the case until 7 a.m. the next morning.
Before calling the police to see the offense, it is better to show common sense and observe the situation. It will be difficult to be taken seriously if you call at 10:01 p.m., but rather take notes over time. In the event that several people make a report, the call would have more weight. If the noise is very strong and lasts in time or it is a recurring habit of the neighbor, the police can sanction immediately with a fine of up to 450 euros, without having to measure the decibels.
In summary, the call must be justified by a repeated, intense and abnormal disorder during the day, but from 10 p.m., it is enough that the noise is strong and that it disturbs sleep. If the police do not move anyway, you can have the noise noted by a bailiff and file a complaint at the police station if the problem persists.
