NoiseFile: Noise Complaint Kit

NoiseFile turns a noisy neighbor into a noise complaint your city can act on. Record it. Check it against the rule. File it.

WORKS OFFLINE. NO ACCOUNT. NO SIGN-IN.
Open it and record. No login, no code texted to you, no internet needed. Everything you save stays on your phone and leaves it only when you share it. No ads, no analytics.

WHAT PEOPLE USE IT FOR
A neighbor who will not turn it down. Bass through the apartment wall. Footsteps upstairs at midnight. A barking dog. A leaf blower at 7 am. A construction crew that starts before the city allows. Late parties, a generator, a car alarm, an HVAC unit that never stops.

RECORD AND LOG, ANYWHERE
A live decibel meter with the limit drawn on the dial. Each saved incident keeps the time, the length, the highest and average dB, a second-by-second trace, up to two photos, and the loudest 10 seconds as a sound clip. Record the quiet room first, then the noise from the same spot, and each report shows how far above the quiet it was. Hand the log to a landlord, an HOA, or code enforcement.

CHECK YOUR CITY'S RULE (BAY AREA, 36 CITIES)
Pick your city. Pick what you hear: animal, general noise, or construction. You see the rule in the city's own words, the decibel limit or quiet hours if the code sets them, and what the city needs before it will act. 108 rules across 36 Bay Area cities, each with its code section and source link. San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Berkeley, Fremont, Daly City, San Mateo, Palo Alto, and 28 more. Outside the Bay Area, the meter, log, and report still work; the rule check and city links are Bay Area only.

FILE THE COMPLAINT
Export a sealed PDF report: a cover, a summary, and one page per incident with a chart and the city check. The app writes the complaint from your incident, then opens the city's complaint form, email, phone line, or packet. Where the city has a web form, a form guide shows every box with the answer next to it.

FREE, AND ONE UNLOCK
Picking your city, reading the rule, the sound meter, saving incidents, and the city check are free. One unlock, $4.99 paid once, opens the sealed PDF report, the form guide, and the city email already filled in. No subscription. Google Play remembers the purchase.

NoiseFile is made by WiM Labs, a small company. It is not part of any city, county, or government and does not speak for one.

SOURCES (Cal. codes, 2026; MC = Municipal Code, CC = City Code, PC = Cal. Penal Code § 415; numbers = chapters)
S.J. MC 7.40, 10.16, 20.100 · Oakland MC 8.18, Planning 17.120 · S.F. Police Code art. 29, Health Code 41 · Fremont MC 9.25, 18.160 · Santa Rosa CC 17-16 · Hayward MC 4-1, 4-4 · Concord MC 8.25, PC, Contra Costa Cty. Noisy Animal Ord. · Sunnyvale MC 6.02, 16.08, 19.42 · Santa Clara CC 6.30, 9.10 · Vallejo MC 7.84, 16.502 · Berkeley MC 13.40 · Richmond MC 9.52, 15.04 · Antioch Code 5-17, 6-1 · Daly City MC 6.04, 6.08, 9.22, 15.09 · San Mateo MC 7.30, 8.02 · San Leandro MC 4-1, 4-11 · Livermore MC 6.04, 9.36 · Redwood City Code 5, 24; San Mateo Cty. Code 6.04 · Mtn. View CC 5.62, 8.06, 21.26, PC · Milpitas MC V-210, V-213 · Pleasanton MC 7.08, 9.04 · Alameda MC 4-10, 7-3 · Palo Alto MC 6.20, 9.10 · S. S.F. MC 8.32, 9.04 · San Bruno MC 6.16, 6.36 · Union City MC 8.28, 9.40 · Walnut Creek MC 4-6, 5-1; Contra Costa Cty. Code div. 416 · Pittsburg MC 9.44 · Cupertino MC 10.48 · Newark MC 17.24 · San Rafael MC 6.10, 8.13; Marin Cty. Code 8.04 · Dublin MC 5.28, 7.16 · Napa MC 6.04, 8.08, PC · Vacaville MC 6.20, 8.10, 9.16, PC · Fairfield CC 3, 12, 25 · Petaluma MC 9.08, Zoning Ord. 21.040

Phone sound readings are estimates, not calibrated enforcement measurements. Local officials make the final decision on any complaint. NoiseFile gives no legal advice.