Music at midnight, a dog that barks or building work on a Sunday: the rules are in the Ley de Propiedad Horizontal (condominium law), the reglamento de condominio (condominium bylaws) and the noise regulations.
What the Ley de Propiedad Horizontal says
The Ley de Propiedad Horizontal (Gaceta Oficial No. 3.241 Extraordinario, August 18, 1983) is still in force. Its article 3 sets the rules for using each apartment. The main ones for living together:
Works. Inside their apartment, the owner may modify ornamental elements, installations and services without affecting the safety, the structure, the exterior appearance or the rights of other owners, and must notify the administrador (building manager) beforehand (article 4).
Pets. The law does not mention animals. Constant barking or damage to common areas can be claimed under literal f; the specific rules depend on the reglamento.
Código Civil (Civil Code). It has no general rule on noise or smoke between neighbors. Article 701 requires distances or protective works to place, near another person's wall or a party wall, establishments "que causen ruido que exceda la medida de las comodidades ordinarias de la vecindad" (that cause noise exceeding the measure of the ordinary comforts of the neighborhood). Article 1.185 requires repairing damage caused intentionally, negligently or imprudently, or "excediendo, en el ejercicio de su derecho, los límites fijados por la buena fe o por el objeto en vista del cual le ha sido conferido ese derecho" (exceeding, in the exercise of one's right, the limits set by good faith or by the purpose for which that right was conferred).
The reglamento, the junta and the administrador
The reglamento de condominio is "de obligatorio cumplimiento" (mandatory), can be amended by the asamblea de propietarios (owners' meeting) and covers, among other matters, the "normas de convivencia entre copropietarios y uso de las cosas comunes del edificio y de las privativas de cada apartamento" (rules of coexistence between co-owners and use of the building's common elements and of each apartment's private ones) (article 26). Ask the administrador for a copy.
Fines. The law does not provide for fines by the junta against an owner: it only mentions them for registrars, judges, notaries and alterations made by the building's seller (articles 42, 43 and 47). If your reglamento provides for fines, consult a lawyer.
The law's sanction. The owner who "reiteradamente no cumpla con sus obligaciones" (repeatedly fails to fulfill their obligations) is liable for damages and can be sued to force them to sell their rights, "hasta en subasta pública" (even at public auction), if an assembly representing 75% of the community so decides (article 39). The article says "sus obligaciones" (their obligations) without limiting them to condominium fees; whether it applies to a noise case must be assessed by a lawyer.
Noise limits: Decreto 2.217
Decreto No. 2.217, the Normas sobre el control de la contaminación generada por ruido (rules on the control of noise pollution) (Gaceta Oficial No. 4.418 Extraordinario, April 27, 1992), was issued under the 1976 Ley Orgánica del Ambiente (Organic Environment Law). The 2006 law (Gaceta Oficial No. 5.833 Extraordinario) keeps regulatory rules that do not contradict it until they are replaced (Disposición Transitoria Primera, its first transitional provision). We did not find a later national rule that replaces the decree, so we understand it is still in force (our inference, with no official statement).
Parties and equipment. Article 4 considers noise from parties, sound systems, air conditioners or hydropneumatic pumps "que causen molestias en el vecindario" (that cause nuisance in the neighborhood) an "alteración del orden público" (disturbance of public order), and refers it to the jefaturas civiles (local civil offices) and municipal authorities.
Tolerable levels (article 5). Day: 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Night: 9:31 p.m. to 6:29 a.m. Leq is the average level; L10, the level that cannot be exceeded more than 10% of the measurement time.
| Zone | Sector | Leq day | Leq night | L10 day | L10 night |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Single-family residential, hospitals and schools, away from high-traffic roads | 55 dBA | 45 dBA | 60 dBA | 50 dBA |
| II | Multifamily residential with few shops, away from high-traffic roads | 60 dBA | 50 dBA | 65 dBA | 55 dBA |
| III | Residential and commercial, near high-traffic roads or highways | 65 dBA | 55 dBA | 70 dBA | 60 dBA |
Zones IV and V (commercial and industrial, and the edges of highways and airports) tolerate more. For fixed sources, the decree applies to the "ambiente no confinado" (unconfined environment) outside the premises where the source operates (article 2) and sets no limits for the inside of an apartment. Measurements follow the COVENIN 1671 standard (article 16).
Works. Construction and major repairs in zones I, II and III must be done "en períodos diurnos de días laborables" (in daytime periods on working days); if a job requires working at night or on holidays, measures must be taken to reduce the noise (article 13).
Alcaldías (city halls). States and municipalities must issue their own noise rules based on the decree (article 17). We did not find official ordinances online: ask your alcaldía for the text in force.
Criminal rules. The Código Penal (Criminal Code) punishes with a fine of up to 100 unidades tributarias (tax units) (200 for a repeat offense) anyone who, with shouting, instruments or "medios ruidosos" (noisy means), disturbs people's rest in their home (article 506).
If the noise comes from a tenant
Write to the owner as well: the owner has the contract, and termination is requested by the landlord, not by the junta or the neighbors.
Contracts under the 2026 housing lease law (Gaceta Oficial No. 7.065 Extraordinario, August 7, 2026). The tenant must use the home "exclusivamente con fines residenciales" (exclusively for residential purposes) (article 15). The landlord can request early termination, among other grounds, for a use other than the one in the contract "o hacer uso del mismo de forma contraria a la ley" (or using it in a way contrary to the law) (article 23, numeral 5) and for the grounds "establecidas en el contrato" (established in the contract) (numeral 7). The law does not mention the reglamento de condominio; the contract can include breaching it as a ground. Only a tribunal de municipio (municipal court) or a tribunal arbitral (arbitral tribunal) can order the eviction (article 27).
Tenants who already occupied the home on August 7, 2026 remain under the 2011 law for as long as that possession continues (article 2 of the 2026 law). Article 91, numeral 5, of the 2011 law includes as a ground violating "la normativa que regule la convivencia ciudadana, dictada por las autoridades competentes y por el Comité Multifamiliar de Gestión" (the rules governing civic coexistence issued by the competent authorities and by the multifamily management committee). That article begins with "Sólo procederá" (it shall only proceed), but its last paragraph preserves other grounds and the ordinary law. The text does not resolve how they fit together; consult a lawyer. Before suing there is a prior procedure before the Superintendencia Nacional de Arrendamiento de Vivienda (national housing-lease authority) (articles 94 and 96). See the guide to eviction.
What to do, step by step
What you must not do. Do not cut off services, block access, enter the apartment or respond with more noise, which also violates article 3. Taking the law into your own hands with violence against property, when you could turn to the authorities, is a crime, and with threats or violence against people the penalty becomes prison or confinement (Código Penal, article 270).