Neighbor Calling Sheriff About Your Loud Music

[Pakey]

Until midnight, I have no problem with it (unless it's country music and then it's always painful).

My husband and I get up at 5 am Mon-Sat for work so I think anything after midnight is pretty inconsiderate.

We had one neighbor who was going to have a huge party and they distributed fliers to all of the neighbors stating their intent and asked that if anyone was going to have a problem with it, please contact them before the party and they would make other arrangements. I thought that was very nice. They were done by midnight though (their flier stated they would be done at 11pm).

 

[Planogirl]

I wouldn't have an issue unless it happened all the time and it was real late. Only really loud parties that run late and chronically barking dogs bother me.

 

[aprilgail2]

Depends on the time of day and how loud the music was.

Are the pictures on my walls rattling? Is it after midnight? I'm with the neighbor.

Before midnight? Neighbor just mad because they can hear music? I'm with your cousin.

.

 

[luvmy3]

It really depends on what time it is, if its very late, I would be annoyed, but never annoyed enough to call the police. I'd walk to my neighbors house and ask them if they could quiet down. I don't believe in bothering the Police for nonsense.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I also agree it should be fine during normal hours and as long as it isn't all day, every day.

Everyone deserves a party/ summer fun once in a while!!!!

 

[libraryfreak]

If I was a good neighbor and not normally loud, I would expect them to just bare with me for this one time

uh, trust me, if I was your neighbor you wouldn't want me to BARE with you.

 

[Kath2003]

Yeah I probably would feel guilty. I also wouldn't have a whole bunch of people around and start playing music loud enough for the neighbours to hear without at least having the decency to go around to my neighbours' first and explaining my plans. I think anything beyond quiet conversation after dark should be taken indoors.

IMO my plans aren't important enough to be disturbing my neighbours' plans, in the same way that their plans aren't important enough to disturb mine.

 

[bumbershoot]

See, that's the way I would feel about it too. I would be mortified if a neighbor called the sheriff.

Same here.

When my former roommate and I had parties, I would hold onto the CD player remote, because we had friends who felt the same way as the person I've quoted below, and would turn it up. I'd turn it down immediately. (this became extra fun as the one in particular had more to drink and couldn't figure out who was turning it down)

It's not a good party till the cops show up telling you to tone it down. Go see the neighbor the next day and tell them sorry. Next time you have a party tell neighbors beforehand or invite them (unless you really don't like them).

Really, it couldn't be simpler...

What, exactly, does telling someone ahead of time do? Does it change their responsibilities? Does it change their kids' sleeping needs? Does it do ANYTHING other than falsely make you feel better about it all?

My own goal with parties was to be as kind and respectful as possible and to not EVER, not once, have the police show up. To do so would be an extreme failure of being a good human on this planet. And yet we still had fun parties.

The neighbor above us, however, liked to do things like pee over the balcony...the neighbor above us, the apartment manager, got to pay us for all the outdoor furniture he and his peeing friends ruined.

 

[worm761]

I will go with it really just depends. When I was a teen, the neighbors called the cops on us. She tells them that we are throwing a wild party, being very loud, and drinking while my parents were out of town. When the officer got there, he first walked around the outside of the house then knocked to inform us of the complaint. He says he heard nothing. The reason he heard nothing was because there was NO party going on! My mother was there, no alcohol and we were doing a group project at my house. She was just a cranky old lady that hated the fact that teens lived next to her. That was not the only incident like that.
Now, the lady next to me is so loud (no music, she yells outside all the time) that she wakes DD up. Now, you should not wake my baby up when my windows are closed and she is on the opposite side of the house. But this lady manages too. Even better, when she starts someone always calls the cops at some point. They like to park at the end of MY drive to go see HER!!! I am not the one calling. Then my dog sees someone who doesn't belong in front of the house and goes nuts. The DD screams some more. Yay!!! I really cannot stand this woman. I hope she moves soon. She also likes to blame us for the loud music coming from behind our houses. I don't mind their music. They are polite people and turn it down around 10 without anyone having to complain.
Now, if we were truly being loud and disturbing the neighbors, I would be embarrassed and the cops would not have had to come a second time. We used to have parties when I was young and in college but everyone in the building was in college and were doing the same thing so no complaints.

 

[Kath2003]

What, exactly, does telling someone ahead of time do? Does it change their responsibilities? Does it change their kids' sleeping needs? Does it do ANYTHING other than falsely make you feel better about it all?

It gives them a chance to TELL you about any issues they may have with it, so you can address problems before they occur?

Even if you weren't planning to change anything anyway, it might be nice for people to know that they're going to come home to music playing (even if it's not overly disturbing them), cars parked all over the street etc.?

It might make you seen like you care about your neighbour's thoughts/feelings towards said event, rather than being someone who's going to do what they want regardless of the neighbours' opinions (even if that is the case)? It makes them feel better about it. It may mean they come and speak to you if there's a problem, rather than calling the police?

Or, it's just polite to let people know that your event may be impacting their environment for a short period of time.

It's being proactive about avoiding a problem, and thus reducing the chance of a neighbour being reactive to a problem.

(And no, I've never had the police called on a party of mine, or even a neighbour complaining about it at the time or afterward, but I've always been polite enough to let them know beforehand. I'd hope my neighbours would do the same for me. On the whole, they have.)

 

[tvguy]

MIGrandma, why are you avoid the most basic question? What time did this happen? Makes all the difference in our answers.

Of course, I am surprised any Sheriff responds to a noise complaint these days anyway, unless they had multiple calls and it was in the middle of the night.

 

[krcit]

Too many unknowns with this one. Some people are just nasty, miserable people who like to complain about everything. Case in point: every year at my moms, we have a St Patrick's Day parade/party. The block has 8 houses and everyone is invited. Two years ago after most people left, 5 of us were sitting in my neighbors driveway with a firepit and a radio on low. I mean, so low that when I walked away to go to the bathroom in my mom's house you couldn't even hear it. Imagine our suprise when the police show up saying a neighbor complained. The cop couldn'r believe that someone called and was apologetic. It was only about 10 pm on a Sat night. Completely rude and uncalled for to call the police. All they had to do was ask us to turn down the radio(that they couldn't even hear) I thought it was funny that the cops showed up an still do.


I always make sure that noise is under control if I have a party, esp. after 11. I'm pretty easy going though about other people's parties, I get a bit annoyed if it's later than midnight but unless it was a regular occurance(sp?) I just suck it up.

 

[si-am]

If it's after midnight and I can't sleep because of a neighbor's music, we call the cops. And if they turn it up again after the cops leave, we call again.

I think it's tacky and selfish to keep the whole neighborhood awake with your party.

Granted, in my 20s I frequently attended parties that were shut down by the cops. But I never threw one, myself.

(As for the people saying to just walk over there and ask them to turn it down, no way. They obviously are aware that they are blasting music, and obviously don't care who they're bothering. Me walking over there isn't going to change anything except perhaps cause a scene.)

We actually had to do this a few weeks ago for a high school graduation party (I assume) HALF A BLOCK AWAY that was playing bass so loud it was practically rattling our windows. At 1:30am, I was just fed up.

 

[KimR]

This is a rather timely post, because as I am typing this I'm listening to my neighbor's party and it's 11:40 PM. I'm pretty sure I won't be calling the cops, though. Hell, I wish I had the nerve to go over and join the fun. It would be different if it were a regular occurance, but the last time I remember a loud party at night was during Superbowl Sunday - same neighbors, I believe. As long as it doesn't happen all the time, I'm fine with it. Now barking dogs...that's another issue entirely.

 

[FredinFL]

Fluff all you posers, me an Granma are gonna get down, get funky and we gonna do it LOUD. So pass us the Jaegermiester Baybee!

 

[KimR]

Almost 1:00 am and party is still going strong. Must not call police....must not call police...must not call police...

 

[KimR]

Depends on what kind of music. If it was country, yea I'd be calling the sheriff too. Nothing annoys me more than a neighbor blasting some Garth Brooks song.

OK, I have to admit..if they were playing country music that would be an entirely different story.

 

[Gigi22]

If it is after 11 p.m. at night, we have a noise bylaw that requires people to turn down the noise/music. The police do come to enforce it.

 

[Bob NC]

To do so would be an extreme failure of being a good human on this planet. .

Could we be ANY more dramatic?

 

[luvmy3]

Fluff all you posers, me an Granma are gonna get down, get funky and we gonna do it LOUD. So pass us the Jaegermiester Baybee!