Neighbors, especially in the city, can be a real problem when they make a little too much noise… night or day.
Neighborhood problems can make life hell. However, there are rules, written or tacit, intended to avoid disappointments between residents of the same building, the same neighborhood or the same city. Because it is mainly in urban areas that the concentration of inhabitants is greater and therefore the problems increase tenfold. Who has never had a neighbor cranking up the volume on their speaker a little too much? Or screaming in the shower when you wake up? Although these facts may seem trivial, some of these behaviors are no less illegal.
There are, in the law, two types of noise: night (nocturnal noise) and day (daytime noise). In the first case, there are no precise times to define nighttime noise, the noise having to take place when it is dark, therefore between sunset and sunrise. For daytime noise, a noise or behavior can be blamed if it is repetitive or intensive, or if it lasts over time, unlike nighttime noise where the offense can be recognized even if the noise does not occur. is not repetitive, intensive and does not last over time.
If they become annoying, singing, a musical instrument or a hi-fi system can therefore fall under the law under the term “neighborhood disturbances.” According to the Public Service website, there are several preliminary steps before filing a complaint, such as (obviously) going to confront the noisy neighbor, calling on the police to report the nuisance, then filing a complaint or filing an arrest warrant. .
Note that having a professional musician as a neighbor does not change the rules to be respected: listed in the Public Health Code, they are the same for everyone. In the event of police intervention, the author of the noise faces a fine of 68 euros and confiscation of “the thing which was used or was intended to make the noise or the thing which is its product.” In the event of conviction by the police court, the penal code provides for a fine of up to 450 euros for nocturnal disturbance.
