The Reports
We publish a data-driven report series on noise in Boulder’s University Hill neighborhood, built from Boulder Police dispatch records and the City of Boulder open-data portal. Every figure can be independently reproduced; our analysis data available on request.
Understanding Noise Pollution in Boulder (September 2026)
Where Boulder’s noise comes from, who bears it, and what the calendar proves: 70% of the city’s noise complaints come from within a fifteen-minute walk of CU; 28,000 permanent residents absorb them at 4.1 times the rest of the city’s rate; when the students leave, the noise leaves. Every dataset and script is published.
Read it online → Download the PDF →August 2026 University Hill Noise Report
Complaints hit record levels despite an enforcement surge; tickets doubled but follow only 1 call in 21; the houses named in Report #1 went quiet and new houses took their place. Publishing shortly — we are folding in a pending Boulder Police records request first.
PDF coming with the final releaseOctober 2025 University Hill Noise Report
Three years of data: 37% of the problem from 24 addresses; enforcement failing to deter chronic offenders.
Download the PDF →Key findings at a glance
- Complaints are concentrated: a few dozen addresses of 2,049 in the initial zone of focus drive most of the problem.
- The problem is predictable: 49% of complaints occur Thursday–Saturday, 9 p.m.–2 a.m.
- Consequences work: every house named in our first report saw complaints collapse. Deterrence rotates to whoever is not being watched — which is why the watch list is permanent.
- Enforcement is improving but thin: citations doubled in 2026, yet warnings still outnumber tickets five to one.
Get each report when it publishes
We send an email when a new report goes out and when the watch list advances — a few times a year, nothing else.
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These reports are built from records we pay for. If they are useful to you, you can help cover the cost.
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