Noise ordinances › Anaheim, CA

Anaheim noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: October 1, 2026

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Quiet hours in Anaheim

The decibel limit has no night: 6.70.010 sets one 60 dB(A) property-line level at every hour. Construction or building repair is exempt from Chapter 6.70 during the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., with no weekday or weekend distinction in the text, and the Director of Public Works or the Building Official may permit additional work hours (6.70.010); outside those hours the work is held to the 60 dB(A) limit rather than banned by name. Parties have a curfew: Sec. 6.73.020 makes it unlawful and a public nuisance to conduct or allow a party or similar event from which loud and unreasonable noise originates between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Amplified sound has its own clocks (6.72.020): in residential zones and within 200 feet of one, no noncommercial use from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m., and commercial use only from a moving vehicle between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. to announce its presence; in other zones, no commercial use from 9:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. and no noncommercial use from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. A barking dog is judged "at any time of day or night" (8.10.020).

Decibel limits

Yes, one number. Sec. 6.70.010: no person may create sound "radiated for extended periods from any premises" producing a level at any point on the property line above 60 decibels (re 0.0002 microbar) on the A-scale, read with the slowest meter response; the same limit applies at every hour and in every zone. Measurement: the microphone at any point on the property line, at least 3 feet from any wall and at least 3 feet above the ground; the measured level is the average of not less than three readings taken at two-minute intervals; readings are valid only if they are 5 decibels or more above the level at the same point with the alleged source off; the meter must meet American Standard S1.4-1961. Exempt: traffic sounds, sound created by emergency activities, sound created by governmental units or their contractors, and construction or building repair from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. A first violation is an infraction and later violations are misdemeanors (6.70.020); the Code Enforcement Manager enforces the chapter (6.70.030). Two no-meter standards sit beside it. Chapter 6.73 defines "loud and unreasonable noise" from a party as sound so loud and of such duration or character as to willfully disturb one or more persons of ordinary sensibilities who are not at the party, and bans it from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Chapter 6.72, which applies notwithstanding Chapter 6.70, requires that amplified sound not be audible to a person of normal hearing acuity inside another enclosed building more than 200 feet from the equipment, and never be "unreasonably loud, raucous, jarring or disturbing" to a person of normal sensitiveness in the area of audibility (6.72.020.050, .060), on top of the hour limits; vehicle sound systems are exempt to the extent the California Vehicle Code regulates them (6.72.040.010).

What the ordinance actually says

Sec. 6.70.010: "No person shall within the City create any sound radiated for extended periods from any premises which produces asound pressure level at any point on the property line in excess of sixty decibels (Re 0.0002 Microbar) read on the A-scale of a sound level meter."

Sec. 6.70.010: "At any point the measured level shall be the average of not less than three (3) readings taken at two (2) minute intervals."

Sec. 6.70.010: "Sound created by construction or building repair of any premises within the City shall be exempt from the applications of this chapter during the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Additional work hours may be permitted if deemed necessary by the Director of Public Works or Building Official."

Sec. 6.73.020: "It shall be unlawful and constitute a public nuisance for any owner or responsible person to conduct or allow to be conducted any party or similar event from which loud and unreasonable noise originates between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m."

Sec. 6.73.010.010: "The term “loud and unreasonable noise” means any sound or noise, including, but not limited to, music or speech, which is so loud in volume level and of such duration or character as to willfully disturb the comfort, health, peace, safety, quiet enjoyment or repose of one or more persons of ordinary sensibilities who is (are) not present at the party or similar event which is the source of such sound or noise."

Sec. 6.72.020.050: "Sound emanating from sound-amplifying equipment shall not be audible to a person of normal hearing acuity within an enclosed building (other than a building within which the sound emanate) at a distance in excess of two hundred feet from the sound-amplifying equipment."

Sec. 6.72.020.060: "In no event shall the sound-amplifying equipment be unreasonably loud, raucous, jarring or disturbing to a person of normal sensitiveness within the area of audibility, or disturb the peace or quiet of any neighborhood."

Sec. 8.10.020.020: "“Barking dog” means a dog that barks, bays, cries, howls or makes any noise for an extended period of time to the disturbance of any person at any time of day or night, regardless of whether the dog is physically situated in or upon private property. Such extended period of time shall consist of incessant barking for 30 minutes or more in any 24-hour period, or intermittent barking for 60 minutes or more during any 24-hour period."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Anaheim Municipal Code, Title 6 "Public Health and Safety": Chapter 6.70 "Sound Pressure Levels," 6.70.010 established (Ord. 2526, 1968; Ord. 3400, 1975; Ord. 6020, 4-25-2006), 6.70.020 violations and penalties (Ord. 5929, 2004), 6.70.030 enforcement (Ord. 5812, 2002); Chapter 6.72 "Amplified Sound," 6.72.010–6.72.050 (Ord. 4059, 1979; Ord. 5781, 2001; Ord. 5941, 9-14-2004); Chapter 6.73 "Provision of Police Services at Loud Parties or Other Events," 6.73.010–6.73.090 (Ord. 5337, 1992; Ord. 6259, 11-20-2012); Title 8, Chapter 8.10 "Barking Dog Violations and Civil Fines," 8.10.010–8.10.120 (Ord. 6102, 4-22-2008). Code version 2026 S-28, local legislation current through Ord. 6627, passed 8-11-2026. Text read on American Legal Publishing (codelibrary.amlegal.com, the City's code host) on 2026-10-01.). Verified against the live code on 2026-10-01. Ordinances get amended — before acting on a specific provision, check the linked official code. This page is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.

How to file a noise complaint in Anaheim

Per anaheim.net: the Anaheim Police Department's Contact page (pd.anaheim.net) says "Dial 911" for emergencies and gives the non-emergency business line 714-765-1900. Anaheim 311 is "the City of Anaheim non-emergency phone number that connects callers to City Hall": 311 inside city limits or 714-765-4311 outside, Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with the Anaheim Anytime online system for reporting a concern. The City's Code FAQ's page lists "Noise Violations" among Code Enforcement topics and gives Community Preservation at 714-765-5158 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.); the "Noise Violations" link opens an Anaheim Anytime request form rather than an answer. Under the code, a party is a police matter: an officer who finds a violation of 6.73.020 issues a written notice to stop, and a second or subsequent response to the same address within three months exposes all responsible persons, jointly and severally, to civil fines of up to $100 for a first violation and up to $250, $500, $750 and $1,000 for the second through fifth-and-later violations within three months of the first (6.73.030, 6.73.040, 6.73.060), appealable to the Chief of Police within ten days with the fine deposited in advance (6.73.070). The 60 dB(A) limit is enforced by the Code Enforcement Manager (6.70.030). An Enforcement Officer may issue a barking-dog citation for barking the officer did not see or hear, based on a neighbor's complaint signed under penalty of perjury, after a 10-day correction period, with fines of $250, $275, $303, $333, $366 and $403 per citation within a 12-month period, doubled if unpaid 15 days after the due date (8.10.030, 8.10.060).

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Anaheim. For the general playbook — documenting the problem, talking to a landlord or HOA, when 311 beats 911 — see the noise complaints guide.

Worth knowing

(1) One number for every hour and every zone: 60 dB(A) at the property line, with no lower night level, so the same 60 dB(A) applies at 3 a.m. as at noon; the party curfew in Chapter 6.73 is what changes at 10 p.m. (2) The 60 dB(A) rule covers sound "radiated for extended periods," a phrase Chapter 6.70 does not define, and a valid reading must be the average of at least three readings two minutes apart and stand 5 dB or more above the level with the source off. (3) The meter standard named in the code is American Standard S1.4-1961, and the chapter's core text dates from 1968 (last amended 2006). (4) The construction exemption (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) carries no weekday, Saturday or Sunday distinction, and the Director of Public Works or Building Official can permit more hours (6.70.010). (5) Party fines need a warning first: civil fines attach only after a written notice and a second or subsequent police response to the same address within three months, and all responsible persons (including the owner, the tenant or occupant, and the parents of a minor in charge) can be jointly and severally liable (6.73.010, 6.73.040). Sections 6.73.030 and 6.73.040 refer to the fines "as set forth in Section 6.73.070," but the fine schedule is in 6.73.060; 6.73.070 is the appeal hearing. (6) Equipment used by an authorized facility operator, tenant or lessee as an integral part of events at Anaheim Stadium, Arrowhead Pond and the Anaheim Convention Center, or at other publicly owned or operated facilities, is exempt from Chapter 6.72, as is equipment integral to permitted institutional uses such as schools and places of worship (6.72.040). (7) Repeat offenders escalate: a second violation of Chapter 6.70, or a second violation of Chapter 6.72 within twelve months, is a misdemeanor (6.70.020, 6.72.050). (8) Barking-dog cases depend on the neighbor: the citation can rest on the complainant's affidavit, but a complainant's failure to appear at the hearing abandons the complaint and is grounds for dismissing the citation (8.10.090.090), and the hearing officer cannot reduce a fine (8.10.100). (9) The published online text runs some words together ("asound," "ofproperty," "ofthe" in 6.70.010); the quotes keep it as published. (10) Sec. 18.40.090 (sound attenuation for residential developments) is a design standard for new housing, not a neighbor-complaint rule, and is not summarized here.

Document it before you report it

Anaheim's limits are measured numbers, so a reading is direct evidence of how loud it really is. Take a quick reading with the free online decibel meter — it runs in your browser and records nothing — and check how loud your block is on the Anaheim noise map. For time-stamped measurement history you can show a landlord or code officer, the app keeps a log.