In Canada and the United States there are no national, provincial, or state laws that give blanket protection against noise, though there are some specific regulations governing manufacturing standards, air traffic, vehicle mufflers, and so on. Criminal laws may also cover things like noisy parties.

Governments have traditionally viewed noise as a "nuisance" rather than an environmental problem. As a result, most regulation has been left up to municipal authorities.

Noise bylaws and ordinances vary widely from one municipality to another and indeed do not even exist in some towns and cities. Where they exist, they may contain a general prohibition against making noise that is a nuisance to other people, or they may set out specific guidelines for the level of noise allowable at certain times of the day and for certain activities. Exceptions are generally made for activities considered legitimate or necessary, such as lawn-mowing or garbage collection.

Regardless of how lax or stringent a local law may be, enforcement is difficult. Many municipalities do not have adequate resources to follow up on complaints. Even where a municipality has an enforcement office, it may be unwilling to do more than issue warnings, since taking offenders to court is expensive. The police may also act on certain kinds of noise complaints, but generally do not assign them a high priority.

For persistent nuisances, the individual may have to seek damages through the civil courts. This can be a long, costly procedure with no certainty of success.

In short, legal protection against noise is very patchy and often inadequate.