Should You Call In A Noise Complaint Late At Night?
This is the dilemma that has now consumed me after some Sunday night escapades. As someone who lives in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, I pride myself on being a genuine resident rather than living an hour away and claiming to be from here. While my exact location remains confidential, let’s just say I am right at the heart of it all.
I typically go to bed around 10:00 PM every night because that is what works for me due to starting work between 4:30 AM-5:00 AM on most days of the week. For over a decade, this has been my routine. But last Sunday evening was different as I hit the sack earlier than usual after an eventful weekend filled with WHCD festivities that left me exhausted.
At around 11 PM, things took a turn for the worse when it became apparent that my neighbors were throwing quite the party. It wasn’t just a small get-together – there was a swimming pool and music blasting from an enormous subwoofer so loud I could feel the room vibrating. Sleeping was absolutely out of question under these conditions!
Initially, I thought it would be best to wait things out since it wasn’t too late yet; however, that strategy proved futile as by midnight, the music seemed even louder than before – a clear indication that this party had no intention of winding down anytime soon. This was completely unacceptable on so many levels!
At first, I thought negotiating with them might work since they appeared to be struggling with language barriers; however, it became apparent very quickly that diplomacy wasn’t going anywhere as the music simply continued louder and even later into the night, making things considerably more problematic.
After negotiations had utterly collapsed by around midnight – way past when loud noise is legally allowed in this city- I decided to take matters into my own hands and contact the non-emergency line; thankfully, a police officer was sent within only about ten minutes! The speed at which action was taken left me pleasantly surprised as it’s not always that fast for minor issues.
Now comes the question: Was I being an awful person by calling in a noise complaint so late on a work night? In my opinion, no; but before we proceed further let’s make something clear – the cut-off time for excessive noise had passed hours earlier! This is just a fact that can’t be altered or argued with. And after attempting to negotiate peacefully in person without any success whatsoever, I felt it was my only option left since this issue simply wasn’t going away on its own.
So, here’s the million-dollar question – should you ever call for a noise complaint at night when there is work waiting for you tomorrow? As always, OutKick readers are free to disagree and engage me in civil discussion as I remain receptive regardless of whether my stance changes or not. Feel free to reach out via email (David.Hookstead@outkick.com) if you think differently from how I’ve presented this matter; I would love nothing more than a productive debate!
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