Houston Chronicle suggests novel way of measuring noise

by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition

Photo credit: Adrian Newell

The Houston Chronicle, in an article by reporter Ryan Nickerson, suggests a novel way of measuring urban noise. The Chronicle obtained data on noise complaints filed with the city from September 2022 through May 2025 via a public records request, and then sorted the data by police beat.

Nickerson notes that noise complaints are difficult to enforce in Houston. This is true in many if not most cities and towns. Many municipal noise ordinances are poorly drafted. Those requiring measurement of sound levels are hampered by lack of training and routine calibration of equipment. Further, any measurements are certain to be questioned by a defense attorney because specified procedures may not have been followed or carefully documented.

Police hate dealing with noise issues, which have the potential to turn into a neighborhood riot. They may also be accused of selective enforcement against certain ethnic or minority groups. In many cases, by the time police or code enforcement authorities arrive, the noise has stopped.

Houston receives thousands of noise complaints each year, and more than 100,000 in the three years studied. That’s “small potatoes” compared to New York City, which receives over 2,000 noise complaints daily, but urban noise is a major quality of life issue everywhere. The article quotes various city officials, and mentions that the Houston Police Department has formed a special unit to focus on nighttime noise from bars and clubs.

I know a good idea when I steal one, but I always give credit. Nickerson shows how noise complaint data from any city can be used to show where noise is a problem and where enforcement activities need to be focused. Other cities should do similar analyses, and if municipal authorities don’t do this on their own, newspapers and television stations should do it for them. Noise pollution is a problem for poor and minority areas, and I suspect this is the case in Houston, too.

I hope that Houston’s efforts will make noisy neighborhoods quieter. A quieter city, part of a quieter and more peaceful world, will be a better and healthier place for all.