According to the New York City Noise Code, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the 6th Precinct, we do not have to tolerate our current situation. Our best defense, at this time, is to call 311 and report the disturbances.
The complaints will be logged and sent to our local precinct as a non-emergency. As these calls are labeled a non-emergency, we cannot expect the police to remedy the situations immediately. What we can expect is that these complaints are brought to the attention of the necessary and various city agencies. Five or more 311 noise complaints against a business within a week labels the business a chronic location.
To file a noise complaint via 311 is not complicated. The procedure is as follows:
- A recorded message informs you your call is labeled as a non-emergency. You then will be placed on hold until an operator becomes available. On weekends, expect to wait for up to 10-15 minutes. Do not hang up, stay on the line and wait for an operator.
- Tell the operator you want to file a noise complaint. To best describe your complaint, it is recommended you peruse the noise code. If you think it needs to be said that a specific bar/restaurant is a repeat offender, don't hesitate to report it. If patrons appear to be intoxicated, report that as well.
Any unnecessary or unreasonable noise coming from outside should be reason enough to file a complaint. The following are examples of what constitutes a valid complaint:
- If the noise coming from a bar/restaurant is so loud that it affects you, call 311.
- If music is too loud coming from the bars/restaurants, call 311.
- If the patrons of that bar/restaurant congregate in front of the business and you are affected by the loud talking and screaming, call 311. It is the legal responsibility of the bar/restaurant to control their crowds. If they don't, call 311.
- Don't let them deter you with questions such as "are they walking away now?", "I can't hear it" or similar statements to deter you from making the complaint.
- You will be asked for the name and address of the business, your name, address and telephone number. You will also be asked for your email address. If you have an email address, it is imperative you submit this so as to keep an electronic record of the complaint. Lastly, the operator will give you a complaint number which is important for you to write down. We also recommend you include the date, time and complaint description of each call.
The image below shows how a 311 noise complaint list from the NYPD looks like:
- Be persistent. If the businesses choose to ignore the effects they are forcing on the neighborhood, they will eventually be hit with costly fines and visits from various city agencies.
- If you have called in the past or plan to call in the future, please send us the confirmation email or your own records. It should include a short description of the incident, name of the business along with the date and time it happened. Recorded proof will make it easier for us to improve our situation on Carmine Street.
- Our e-mail address is CarmineStreetNoise@gmail.com
If the noise is too loud, please call 311. Don't hesitate - just do it.