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California noise laws: quiet hours, car stereos and how to complain
California has no statewide quiet hours or decibel limit for homes; cities and counties set them. State law covers malicious, willful disturbance by "loud and unreasonable noise" (Penal Code 415, up to 90 days and $400), car stereos heard 50 feet away on a highway, and loud exhausts. State park campgrounds keep quiet hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
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No statewide quiet hours in California
California has no statewide quiet hours and no state decibel limit for noise from homes. Each city and county writes its own noise ordinance, so the hours and limits change at the city line (see the table of cities below). State planning guidance is direct about this: among the local enforcement steps it recommends, the noise element guidelines of the state's General Plan Guidelines list "Adopt and apply a community noise ordinance for resolution of noise complaints", and call such an ordinance "the only viable instrument for short-term or immediate solutions to intrusive noise". State law also requires every city and county general plan to include "A noise element that shall identify and appraise noise problems in the community" (Government Code 65302(f)).
The state does set quiet hours in its own parks. Under California Code of Regulations, title 14, section 4320, no one may disturb others "in sleeping quarters or in campgrounds between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily", and noisy generators may not run between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. without the department's permission. It is a State Parks rule and does not apply to homes.
California state laws that touch everyday noise
Read on November 11, 2026. The fines are from the Judicial Council's Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules, 2026 edition: the base fine, then the total once state and county penalty assessments and fees are added. Thirty counties, including Los Angeles and San Diego, may set higher totals for Vehicle Code infractions.
| Law | What it covers | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Penal Code 415(2), disturbing the peace | A person who "maliciously and willfully disturbs another person by loud and unreasonable noise", at any hour | Up to 90 days in county jail, a fine of up to $400, or both; may be charged as an infraction with a fine of up to $250 |
| Vehicle Code 27007, car sound systems | A sound system that "can be heard outside the vehicle from 50 or more feet" while the vehicle is on a highway | Infraction: $35 base fine, $247 total |
| Vehicle Code 27150, mufflers | An "adequate muffler in constant operation and properly maintained to prevent any excessive or unusual noise"; no cutout or bypass | Infraction: $25 base fine; $210 total when cited as not correctable |
| Vehicle Code 27151, modified exhausts | No exhaust modified to be louder than section 27150 or the vehicle noise limits allow; under 6,000 pounds, other than motorcycles, 95 dBA or less complies | Infraction: $25 base fine; $210 total when cited as not correctable |
| Civil Code 1927, renting | A lease binds the landlord to secure to the tenant "the quiet possession of the thing hired" | A civil matter between tenant and landlord |
| Cal. Code Regs., title 14, section 4320, state parks | Quiet hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. in sleeping quarters and campgrounds | $50 base fine, $260 total, as an infraction |
Penal Code 415 is narrower than it reads. California's official jury instruction, CALCRIM No. 2689, tells jurors that to disturb someone by loud and unreasonable noise "there must be either" a "clear and present danger of immediate violence", or the noise "must be used for the purpose of disrupting lawful activities, rather than as a means to communicate". The person must also have acted "maliciously and willfully". For everyday noise from a home, the state's own guidance points to the city or county noise ordinance instead.
Car stereos and loud exhausts
Vehicle Code 27007 says no driver may operate "any sound amplification system which can be heard outside the vehicle from 50 or more feet when the vehicle is being operated upon a highway", unless it is used "to request assistance or warn of a hazardous situation". Emergency vehicles and gas, electric, communications and water utility vehicles are exempt, and so are sound systems on vehicles "used for advertising, or in parades, political or other special events", though a local authority may ban those "by ordinance or resolution". Breaking a Vehicle Code rule is an infraction, except as that article of the code otherwise provides (section 40000.1).
Section 27150 requires every motor vehicle with an internal combustion engine that is subject to registration to have "an adequate muffler in constant operation and properly maintained to prevent any excessive or unusual noise", with no "cutout, bypass, or similar device". Section 27151 bars modifying an exhaust so that it is louder than section 27150 or the vehicle noise limits allow, and bars driving a vehicle so modified. For vehicles under 6,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating, other than motorcycles, "a sound level of 95 dbA or less, when tested in accordance with the most current SAE International standard, complies with this section."
How to make a noise complaint in California
No state agency takes complaints about a neighbor's noise; California leaves that to cities and counties. Call the police or sheriff's non-emergency number for noise happening now, or your city or county code enforcement office for a continuing problem, under the local ordinance in the table below. Call 911 only for an emergency. Officers can also cite Penal Code 415 when its test is met. Loud car stereos and exhausts are Vehicle Code tickets for the police and the California Highway Patrol. In a state park campground, tell the park staff.
If you rent, tell your landlord. Civil Code 1927 is the code's quiet possession rule: a lease "binds the letter to secure to the hirer the quiet possession of the thing hired during the term of the hiring, against all persons lawfully claiming the same." The Department of Real Estate's California Tenants guide lists "the implied rental agreement covenant of ‘quiet enjoyment’" among a tenant's rights and describes quiet enjoyment as the right to use the home "free from substantial interference from the landlord". Our covenant of quiet enjoyment page explains more.
Keep a record of the date, the time, how long the noise lasted and where you heard it from. The free online decibel meter runs in your browser and records nothing; it is an uncalibrated estimate of about ±10 dB, enough to show 50 against 70 but not a measurement a court will rely on. Turn A-weighting on (dBA vs dBC) and write down the session average. The noise complaints guide covers what to log.
Quiet hours in California cities
Quiet hours in California are set city by city and county by county. These are the places we cover, each from its own code; a place added in the last few weeks is listed without a link while we measure how its page is found.
| City or county | Quiet hours |
|---|---|
| Anaheim | 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. for parties; 60 dBA all hours; construction exempt 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. |
| Bakersfield | No general curfew; construction 6 a.m. – 9 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. weekends |
| Berkeley | 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.; construction 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekends, holidays |
| Chula Vista | 10 p.m. – 7 a.m. weekdays; 10 p.m. – 8 a.m. weekends |
| Fremont | 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.; construction near homes 7 a.m.–7 p.m. weekdays, none Sunday |
| Fresno | 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (ambient floor 50 dB); construction 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., never Sunday |
| Inglewood | 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (night base level applies) |
| Irvine | 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (lower dB limit); construction 7 a.m.–7 p.m. weekdays, 9–6 Sat |
| Long Beach | 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (45 dBA outside, 35 dBA inside); construction 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. weekdays |
| Los Angeles | 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (construction: 9:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m., no Sundays except your own home) |
| Los Angeles County | 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (lower night limits) |
| Oakland | 10 p.m. – 7 a.m. (45 dBA); persistent noise 9 p.m.; construction day levels 7–7, weekends 9–8 |
| Orange County | 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (lower night limits) |
| Pasadena | 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.; construction 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat., none Sun. |
| Riverside | 10 p.m. – 7 a.m. (45 dBA); construction exempt 7 a.m.–7 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat |
| Sacramento | 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (50 dBA outside, 45 dBA between units) |
| Sacramento County | 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (lower limits; 45 dBA between units) |
| San Diego | 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. |
| San Francisco | 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (45 dBA indoors); construction 8:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. |
| San Jose | No set hours: disturbing or unreasonably loud at any time |
| Santa Ana | 10:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. (50 dBA); construction exempt only 7 a.m.–8 p.m. Mon–Sat |
| Stockton | 10 p.m.–7 a.m. (45 dB Leq, 65 Lmax), construction included; power tools 9 p.m.–8 a.m. |
Sources
California Penal Code sections 17, 19.8 and 415; Vehicle Code sections 27007, 27150, 27151 and 40000.1; Civil Code section 1927; and Government Code section 65302, all on California Legislative Information (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov); Judicial Council of California, Criminal Jury Instructions (CALCRIM), 2026 edition, No. 2689; Judicial Council of California, Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules, 2026 edition; California Code of Regulations, title 14, section 4320, as published by California State Parks; Governor's Office of Planning and Research, General Plan Guidelines (2017), Appendix D, noise element guidelines; California Department of Real Estate, California Tenants (2026 edition). All read on November 11, 2026. This page covers state law; your city or county noise ordinance sets the quiet hours and limits where you live. It is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.
What are quiet hours in California?
California has no statewide quiet hours. Each city and county sets its own in its noise ordinance (see the table of California cities on this page). The state does set quiet hours in its own parks: 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. in sleeping quarters and campgrounds, under title 14, section 4320 of the California Code of Regulations.
Is there a statewide noise ordinance in California?
No. State law requires each city and county general plan to have a noise element, and state guidance recommends that they adopt a community noise ordinance to resolve noise complaints, but no state law sets quiet hours or a decibel limit for homes. Penal Code 415 covers malicious, willful disturbance by loud and unreasonable noise anywhere in the state.
Is disturbing the peace with noise a crime in California?
It can be. Under Penal Code 415(2), a person who "maliciously and willfully disturbs another person by loud and unreasonable noise" faces up to 90 days in county jail, a fine of up to $400, or both, and it can be charged as an infraction instead. The jury instruction requires a clear and present danger of immediate violence, or noise used to disrupt lawful activities rather than to communicate.
How loud can a car stereo be in California?
Under Vehicle Code 27007, a sound system may not be heard outside the vehicle from 50 or more feet while the vehicle is on a highway, unless it is used to call for help or warn of danger. It is an infraction; the Judicial Council's 2026 bail schedule lists a $35 base fine and a $247 total, and 30 counties may set a higher total.
Is a loud exhaust illegal in California?
Yes, when it breaks the Vehicle Code. A muffler must prevent "excessive or unusual noise" and may not have a cutout or bypass (section 27150), and an exhaust may not be modified to be louder than the law allows (section 27151). For vehicles under 6,000 pounds other than motorcycles, a test result of 95 dBA or less complies. Each is an infraction.
