Noise ordinances › Los Angeles County, CA

Los Angeles County noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: October 27, 2026

Documenting this? A dated log of when the noise started, when it stopped and how loud it got is what Los Angeles County acts on. Log noise levels for a complaint — free, runs in your browser, records no audio.

Quiet hours in Los Angeles County

The County's noise limits drop at night: residential property is held to 45 dB from 10:00 pm to 7:00 am instead of 50 dB from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm, commercial property to 55 dB instead of 60 dB, and the inside of a neighboring multifamily dwelling to 40 dB instead of 45 dB (12.08.390, 12.08.400). Construction has two clocks. Chapter 12.08 bans construction, drilling, repair, alteration or demolition tools and equipment that create a noise disturbance across a residential or commercial property line between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and at any time on Sundays or holidays, except emergency work of public service utilities or under a variance from the health officer (12.08.440 A), and its daytime construction limits at homes run from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily except Sundays and legal holidays (12.08.440 B). The older building construction chapter separately bans construction or repair work and earth moving with air compressors, jackhammers, power drills, earth moving equipment or other loud machines on any Sunday or between 8:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. when it disturbs people sleeping in a home, apartment, hotel or mobilehome, unless the county engineer gives written permission (12.12.030, 12.12.050). Minor maintenance of a home is exempt only from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. during Pacific Standard Time and 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. during Daylight Saving Time, and from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays (12.08.570 L). Loading and unloading that causes a noise disturbance is banned from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. (12.08.460); refuse compacting and refuse collection in or within 500 feet of a residential area or noise-sensitive zone are banned from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. (12.08.520); a vehicle selling food may not play music or other sounds from an external speaker from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. (12.08.541); and powered model vehicles may not create a noise disturbance across a residential boundary or in a noise-sensitive zone from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (12.08.490). For wildfire rebuilding, Public Health says it has temporarily modified the ordinance: its flyers dated January 2026 allow construction noise from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sundays and holidays, with no construction from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., and say noise should be below 85 dB from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and below 45 dB from 8:01 p.m. to 6:59 a.m.; the codified text on Municode does not show this change.

Decibel limits

Yes, in unincorporated Los Angeles County. Readings use a sound level meter on the A-weighted scale at slow response (fast for impulsive sound), taken anywhere on the receiver's property, normally four to five feet above the ground (12.08.370, 12.08.420). Exterior base levels by receiving zone (12.08.390 A): noise-sensitive area 45 dB at any time; residential 50 dB from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm and 45 dB from 10:00 pm to 7:00 am; commercial 60 dB and 55 dB; industrial 70 dB at any time. The base level may not be exceeded for a cumulative period of more than 30 minutes in any hour (Standard No. 1); the base plus 5 dB for more than 15 minutes in any hour (Standard No. 2); the base plus 15 dB for more than one minute in any hour (Standard No. 4); and the base plus 20 dB at any time (Standard No. 5). The published text also sets Standard No. 3, for more than five minutes in any hour, at the base plus 20dB, which is out of step with Standard No. 4's 15 dB; this page reports the text as published. If the ambient noise without the source is louder than a standard, the ambient level becomes the standard (12.08.390 B). Inside a neighboring multifamily dwelling, with windows in their normal seasonal position: 45 dB from 7 am to 10 pm and 40 dB from 10 pm to 7 am for more than five minutes in any hour, that level plus 5 dB for more than one minute, and plus 10 dB at any time (12.08.400). Pure tones and impulsive noise get a 5 decibel penalty (12.08.410). Construction at homes: mobile equipment used for less than 10 days 75 dBA at single-family, 80 dBA at multi-family and 85 dBA at semiresidential or commercial buildings from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. except Sundays and legal holidays, and 60, 64 and 70 dBA at other times; stationary equipment used for 10 days or more 60, 65 and 70 dBA by day and 50, 55 and 60 dBA at other times; mobile equipment at business structures 85 dBA at all hours (12.08.440 B). Residential air conditioning or refrigeration equipment: 55 dBA at any point on the neighboring property line for units installed on or after January 1, 1980 (60 dBA for older units), and 50 dBA (55 dBA for older units) at the center of a neighboring patio or outside the nearest neighboring living area window (12.08.530). Refuse compactors 86 dBA at 50 feet (12.08.520). Places of public entertainment above 95 dBA where customers normally are must post a hearing-impairment warning sign (12.08.480). Vibration above 0.01 inches per second (1 to 100 Hertz) at the property boundary is banned (12.08.560). Construction, emergency and nonemergency signaling devices, refuse collection vehicles, residential air conditioning and forced-air blowers are judged only by their own Part 4 rules, not the exterior standards (12.08.570 D). Separately, Chapter 13.45 sets no number: it bans willfully making loud, unnecessary and unusual noise that disturbs the peace or quiet of a neighborhood or annoys a reasonable person of normal sensitiveness residing in the area, weighing factors including the level of the noise, the background noise, closeness to sleeping facilities, the time of day or night and the duration (13.45.010).

What the ordinance actually says

12.08.390 B: "Unless otherwise herein provided, no person shall operate or cause to be operated, any source of sound at any location within the unincorporated county, or allow the creation of any noise on property owned, leased, occupied or otherwise controlled by such person which causes the noise level, when measured on any other property either incorporated or unincorporated, to exceed any of the following exterior noise standards:"

12.08.390 B: "Standard No. 1 shall be the exterior noise level which may not be exceeded for a cumulative period of more than 30 minutes in any hour."

12.08.440 A: "Operating or causing the operation of any tools or equipment used in construction, drilling, repair, alteration or demolition work between weekday hours of 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., or at any time on Sundays or holidays, such that the sound therefrom creates a noise disturbance across a residential or commercial real-property line, except for emergency work of public service utilities or by variance issued by the health officer is prohibited."

12.12.030: "Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, a person, on any Sunday, or at any other time between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. the following day, shall not perform any construction or repair work of any kind upon any building or structure, or perform any earth excavating, filling or moving, where any of the foregoing entails the use of any air compressors; jackhammers; power-driven drill; ..."

13.45.010: "Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter and in addition thereto, it shall be unlawful for any person to wilfully make or continue, or cause to be made or continued, any loud, unnecessary, and unusual noise which disturbs the peace or quiet of any neighborhood or which causes discomfort or annoyance to any reasonable person of normal sensitiveness residing in the area."

12.08.670: "Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500.00 or be imprisoned in the County Jail for a period not exceeding six months or by both such fine and imprisonment."

10.40.060 A: "It is unlawful for an owner or custodian of an animal to allow the animal to emit any excessive noise after the Department has issued a written warning notice of an excessive noise complaint."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Los Angeles County Code Chapter 12.08 (Noise Control), with Chapters 12.12 and 13.45. Los Angeles County Code on Municode, "Codified through Ordinance No. 2026-0034, passed September 15, 2026. (Supp. No. 146, Update 3)", version dated Oct 2, 2026: Title 12, Chapter 12.08 "Noise Control", §§ 12.08.010 to 12.08.680, the "noise control ordinance of the county of Los Angeles" (Ord. 11778 and Ord. 11773, 1978; 12.08.541 added by Ord. 2002-0028, 2002; 12.08.570 last amended by Ord. 2023-0004, 2023); Title 12, Chapter 12.12 "Building Construction Noise", §§ 12.12.010 to 12.12.100 (Ord. 8594, 1964; Ord. 9818, 1969); Title 13, Chapter 13.45 "Loud, Unnecessary and Unusual Noise", §§ 13.45.010 and 13.45.020 (Ord. 2001-0075, 2001); Title 10, § 10.40.060 "Excessive Animal Noise" (Ord. 2017-0043, 2017) and § 10.08.100; Title 7, § 7.96.060 L (short-term rentals, Ord. 2024-0015, 2024). These provisions govern unincorporated Los Angeles County; cities in the county have their own noise rules. Text read 2026-10-27.). Verified against the live code on 2026-10-27. 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 Los Angeles County

Who to call depends on the source. For loud music, parties or other noise from homes in unincorporated areas, Public Health's noise page says local law enforcement is responsible and to call your local police station; in unincorporated areas that is the Los Angeles County Sheriff's station that patrols your area (for example the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Station, (323) 264-4151, which serves East Los Angeles, City Terrace, Belvedere Gardens and other unincorporated communities; Sheriff's Headquarters is (213) 229-1700), and 911 is for emergencies. For noise from a business, construction or demolition in unincorporated Los Angeles County, Public Health says to call (626) 430-5201. Public Health enforces Chapter 12.08 and takes the measurements, and a first violation brings a written notice of violation with a deadline to fix the problem (12.08.650, 12.08.660). Public Health's wildfire rebuilding flyers give (800) 700-9995, Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., for construction noise complaints and (888) 700-9995 for questions; after a complaint an inspector visits the worksite, gives the builder a notice if the noise is too loud, and returns to check. Barking dogs and other animal noise go to the County Department of Animal Care and Control: the complaint must be in writing, signed under penalty of perjury, and give the complainant's name, address and phone number, the animal owner's address and the dates and approximate times of the noise, and the owner can be cited if the noise is not abated within 10 days after a warning (10.40.060, 10.08.100). Inside a city, the city's own rules apply: Public Health lists the LAPD Noise Enforcement Team, (213) 996-1250, for the City of Los Angeles and says to call your city for other cities. Sources: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/eh/safety/noise.htm, http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/eh/docs/safety/noise-control-resident-impacted-wildfires-en.pdf, https://lasd.org/stations/ and https://lasd.org/east-los-angeles/.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Los Angeles County. 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) Jurisdiction: these rules govern unincorporated Los Angeles County, such as East Los Angeles; the City of Los Angeles and other cities have their own noise ordinances. Chapter 12.08 reaches a source anywhere in the unincorporated county, wherever the noise is measured, incorporated or not (12.08.390 B). (2) The ambient rule: if the area is already louder than a standard without the source, the measured ambient level becomes the standard; on a boundary between two zones the standard is the average of the two zone levels; and an industrial source affecting another zone is held to that zone's daytime level (12.08.390 B, C). If a violation was unanticipated and due to abnormal atmospheric conditions, the health officer issues an abatement notice instead of a citation (12.08.390 E). (3) Penalties: Chapter 12.08 violations are misdemeanors punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to six months in the County Jail, or both, each day a separate offense (12.08.670), after a first written notice of violation with time to correct (12.08.660); Chapter 12.12 construction violations carry the same maximums, each day a separate offense (12.12.090); Chapter 13.45 violations are misdemeanors with fines of up to $100 for a first violation, up to $200 for a second violation of the same provision within one year and up to $500 for each further violation within one year, or up to six months in jail, or both (13.45.020). (4) Alarms: an exterior burglar or fire alarm, or a vehicle burglar alarm, must stop within 15 minutes of activation; tests of stationary emergency sirens may run only from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and no longer than 60 seconds (12.08.500). Electronically amplified bells, chimes and similar nonemergency signals may not sound for more than 10 consecutive seconds in any hour, and houses of religious worship are exempt (12.08.510). (5) Exempt from the chapter (12.08.570): emergency work and warning devices; activities on public playgrounds and public or private school grounds, including school athletic and entertainment events; motion picture production; regulated railroads; public utility, flood control and transportation work on the public right-of-way; legal vehicles operating legally on public roads or private property; and agricultural operations, subject to conditions. (6) Noise-sensitive zones around institutions are marked by at least three signs within one-tenth mile, and any noise disturbance inside a marked zone is banned (12.08.470). (7) Selling or advertising by shouting in residential or commercial areas or noise-sensitive zones is banned except at licensed events (12.08.540), and repairing or testing a vehicle, motorcycle or motorboat so as to cause a noise disturbance across a property boundary is banned (12.08.550). (8) Registered short-term rentals must not cause nuisance activities, including disturbances of the peace and excessive noise (7.96.060 L). (9) The wildfire rebuilding change: Public Health's page and flyers say it has modified the ordinance to allow extended construction hours, but the codified chapter on Municode still shows the 1978 construction rules, and the flyers do not name the legal instrument, the area covered or an end date.

Document it before you report it

Los Angeles County'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 East Los Angeles noise map. For time-stamped measurement history you can show a landlord or code officer, the app keeps a log.