415 is a common California police reference for disturbing the peace. A scanner call described as a disturbance can be broader than the conduct covered by Penal Code section 415. The number alone does not show that a loud argument, noise complaint or fight meets the section's conditions.
A Disturbance Call Is Broader than a Legal Finding
A caller can report a loud noise, a disagreement or a fight before an officer knows what happened. Dispatch needs a useful problem description, but that initial label cannot settle the legal question. The incident may change as more information arrives.
The 415 reference page shows how agencies word the entry. Some lists say disturbance while others use more specific labels. Preserve the department and any suffix rather than assuming every disturbance is the same offense.
What California Section 415 Actually Covers
The statute separates three kinds of conduct: unlawful fighting or challenging another to fight in public; malicious and willful disturbance by loud and unreasonable noise; and offensive words in public that are inherently likely to provoke an immediate violent reaction. Those conditions matter more than a one-word online definition.
It is therefore misleading to reduce section 415 to “any noise” or “any insult.” A plain-English summary can help recognize the reference, but applying it to a real dispute requires the full current law and the facts. The California Penal Code guide keeps these section subjects separate from radio codes.
Texas and Dallas Use Their Own Labels
Texas Penal Code section 42.01 addresses disorderly conduct through specified forms of behavior. That is a Texas legal reference, rather than California's 415 number.
Dallas's published problem-type report separately contains signal 06 for a minor disturbance and 6M for a loud-music disturbance, alongside other labels. These call types help show why a broad question such as “what is the police code for a disturbance?” cannot be answered accurately without a location. The Texas reference tables identify the source report.
Read Timing and Situation Words Carefully
A noise complaint, a disturbance in progress and an incident reported later can sound related without conveying the same immediate circumstances. Likewise, an agency may use a suffix for a domestic disturbance or another local distinction. Folsom's call-type material includes 415DV for a domestic-disturbance label.
Do not infer an arrest, a diagnosis or a particular level of danger from the base number alone. A separate response designation or request for help can describe how the agency is handling the call rather than defining the underlying legal offense.
A Better Way to Describe What You Heard
When discussing a scanner entry, attach the meaning to its source: “the agency logged a disturbance call” is a different claim from saying someone was convicted of disturbing the peace. The first describes a record; the second needs an actual legal outcome.
For unfamiliar terms, use the scanner guide, radio-versus-statute explanation or main code hub. They help distinguish the call category from its later investigation.
FAQ
Does 415 mean every loud noise is illegal?
No. Section 415 includes specific conditions for its noise provision. A short code cannot replace them.
Does a disturbance code prove there was a fight?
No. A disturbance is a broad initial call description in some systems, and the incident may involve noise or another reported issue.
Is 415 the same in Texas?
Do not apply California numbering statewide in Texas. Texas has its own law, including section 42.01, and local dispatch systems.
What does an extra letter after 415 mean?
It may be a local call-type modifier. Check the complete entry in the named agency's material rather than guessing from another list.
Sources
- California Penal Code § 415, California Legislative Counsel. Official Checked October 2026
- Texas Penal Code section 42.01 (disorderly conduct), Texas Legislature. Official Checked October 2026
- Calls Summary by Problem (Signal) Type, Dallas Police Department. Updated 10/23/2026. Official Checked October 2026
- Communications Manual (radio codes, p. 32), Folsom Police Department. Updated rev. 2019. Official Checked October 2026