Living next to violent noisy bar

[real person]

During covid partial lockdown I moved into an apartment overlooking the parking lot of a bar. The bar was regularly closing at ten and the parking lot was usually reasonably quiet so I moved in fully. I have been here for over two years during which time they have become increasingly bad neighbors. Now they crank bass until 1:30 almost nightly, there have been several fist fights in the parking lot. People occasionally hang out in the parking lot yelling, playing sub bass loud music. My car, parked on the street, has been vandalized multiple times. I have video of each catagory, including surveillance video of the most severe vandalization which I reported to local police ~1year ago but I didn't realize the extent of the damage until after filing a report and did not have the video until later. The investigators have not contacted and ignore my voice mail messages. I just got off the phone with an employee at the bar who told me there was nothing they could do about a guy who was playing very loud bassy music in the bar's parking lot. The music did stop soon after my call.
I'm a middle aged man. I'm concerned for my health from poor sleep and I'm not confident that I will not be physically attacked at some point since it's obvious who I am through the multiple phone calls I have made to the bar and the fact that mine is almost always the only apartment with lights on facing the lot. Plus I have surely been seen making phone videos of the patrons. It took me over a year to find an apartment that I liked when I settled on this one but it's past time that I got out of here. Rents have gone up significantly for comparable places and I don't have enough money to comfortably absorb the cost of moving. If I sue the bar I may need to leave town for my safety. What are your thoughts on my chances of a worthwhile award from such a suit. I have called the police a couple of times, once at about 4:am to quiet an after hours party. Another time I called about people talking very loudly and skateboarding in the parking lot at about 3:am. It took almost 45 minutes for a response. I have not filed a complaint with the police department's noise officers because the bar brings a lot of money to the city, the employees are pals with the guys on patrol and I would bet that the owner knows the right people. I don't believe that anything would be done for me but I fully expect that I would be identified as the one who filed the complaint, either directly or indirectly.

 

[Taxing Matters]

You didn't say in what state this is taking place. That matters because state laws vary. Indeed, for this kind of thing local ordinances would be important too. If there is a noise ordinance that they are violating, contacting the noise officers might get you some results. You are assuming all the police are buddies with the bar owner, but that may not be the case. If the police don't act, you might be able to sue the bar for nuisance and seek an injunction to prohibit the loud noise. The problem there is that the bar was already there when you moved in it's not uncommon for bars to get rowdy late at night. So it may be that the court would say that by moving in right next to the bar that you assumed this kind of risk. Had the bar started operation after you moved in that would make a stronger case.

Depending on the state, it may be worthwhile to check to see if the bar is in compliance with state liquor laws and that it's liquor license (if required in your state) hasn't expired or been pulled by the state for some reason. If the bar is not in compliance with state law, the state can shut it down. You likely don't have to worry about the state officials being buddies with the bar owner. I suggest you also check to see if the bar is located in a spot that is zoned for a bar. If it's sitting on an area zoned for something different, e.g. residential housing, the city zoning commission might take action on that. If the bar is not up to state building codes, that may also get the bar shut down, at least temporarily while the bar owner fixes the problem.

So there are options here. I suggest you meet with a local attorney familiar with the state liqour laws and the local zoning ordinances to discuss the matter. The local attorney should know which buttons to push in the city to get some action. Unfortunately you might not find something that you can use regulate or shut down the bar. If that's the outcome, you'll have to make a choice between staying and putting up with the noise or move to someplace that is not next to a business.

 

[adjusterjack]

The problem there is that the bar was already there when you moved in it's not uncommon for bars to get rowdy late at night. So it may be that the court would say that by moving in right next to the bar that you assumed this kind of risk.

Like buying a house near an airport and then complaining about the noise of the jet planes flying overhead.

 

[stealth2]

Like buying a house near an airport and then complaining about the noise of the jet planes flying overhead.

I live close to a military base, and I can’t tell you how many complaints I hear about their training exercises! My a Dad went through there during the Korean War, so not like they built it yesterday!

Then there’s Shore noise. “But it was so quiet when I bought my home! (In December) Well, May thru December gets busier/louder.

It’s not that I don’t sympathize, but…

 

[real person]

You didn't say in what state this is taking place.

I did leave out some details. It felt like I was going to lose my audience. I really appreciate the well considered response. It looks like a consultation with the police noise officers would be fruitful, for local ordinance details anyway. Shutting down the bar is overkill and not in my interests, big picture. Further police involvement would be about pushing the bar toward something more normal for a bar surrounded by residential. E.g: keeping major parties inside the bar, clearing the lot after a reasonable time, after hours parties to be not heard beyond bar property, shutting down the patrons who demonstrate their pro level music systems out in the lot without waiting for a complaint, defusing potential fights before they need to call in police swarms.... After posting last night I stayed up until 4:am while bass from their after hours party passed right through closed windows and my door. Again I have video.
The question of who came first is complicated from my POV but I understand that the law is something else. For the people who found it appropriate to ignore the obvious intention of my post and mock someone who was reaching out in distress, when I inspected this place I asked the landlord if the bar plays loud music and he answered that he didn't think so. That combined with the covid partial shut down meant that I moved in to a very reasonably quiet place with little expectation of things going completely off the rails. I took a calculated risk, as we all do at times. My building has been here longer (admittedly a minor fact but there it is). It has always been residential, as are two others in close proximity to the bar which is a good picture of how very mixed use this neighborhood is but the contrast between my block and any other around here is stark. I tried to find an open restaurant at 11:15 last Saturday and all of the many local businesses were closed except for a sports bar in a rare all businesses setting. Anyway, that probably covers what we can do here. I'm just trying to clear some things up. Thanks again.

 

[Just Blue]

I did leave out some details. It felt like I was going to lose my audience. I really appreciate the well considered response. It looks like a consultation with the police noise officers would be fruitful, for local ordinance details anyway. Shutting down the bar is overkill and not in my interests, big picture. Further police involvement would be about pushing the bar toward something more normal for a bar surrounded by residential. E.g: keeping major parties inside the bar, clearing the lot after a reasonable time, after hours parties to be not heard beyond bar property, shutting down the patrons who demonstrate their pro level music systems out in the lot without waiting for a complaint, defusing potential fights before they need to call in police swarms.... After posting last night I stayed up until 4:am while bass from their after hours party passed right through closed windows and my door. Again I have video.
The question of who came first is complicated from my POV but I understand that the law is something else. For the people who found it appropriate to ignore the obvious intention of my post and mock someone who was reaching out in distress, when I inspected this place I asked the landlord if the bar plays loud music and he answered that he didn't think so. That combined with the covid partial shut down meant that I moved in to a very reasonably quiet place with little expectation of things going completely off the rails. I took a calculated risk, as we all do at times. My building has been here longer (admittedly a minor fact but there it is). It has always been residential, as are two others in close proximity to the bar which is a good picture of how very mixed use this neighborhood is but the contrast between my block and any other around here is stark. I tried to find an open restaurant at 11:15 last Saturday and all of the many local businesses were closed except for a sports bar in a rare all businesses setting. Anyway, that probably covers what we can do here. I'm just trying to clear some things up. Thanks again.

And, still, you didn't give the state...which matters a great deal.

Common sense should have kick in when you first view the apartment, that due to everything being shut down during COVID although all is quiet then, that quite would not last when the bar could/would reopen.
With that said:
You can use ear plugs to block the noise and look for a new place in a quiet neighborhood once your lease ends.

 

[STEPHAN]

Non-legal advice: Move. You will be fighting this almost every day. Life is too short. Find a better place.