Noise ordinances › Sacramento, CA

Sacramento noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: September 20, 2026

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Quiet hours in Sacramento

The night standard runs from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.: the exterior limit on residential and agricultural property drops from 55 dBA to 50 dBA (Sec. 8.68.060 A), and inside apartments, condominiums, townhouses and duplexes a neighbor's unit may not be pushed above 45 dBA for more than five minutes in an hour, 50 dBA for more than one minute, or 55 dBA at any time (Sec. 8.68.070 A). The same window recurs in Sec. 8.68.200: yelling, shouting, whistling and singing on public streets are called out "particularly between the hours of ten p.m. and seven a.m." (C), pile drivers, steam shovels, pneumatic hammers, derricks and hoists may not operate 10:00 p.m.–7:00 a.m. (D), and power saws, planers and other powered or hand tools may not be used 10:00 p.m.–7:00 a.m. so as to disturb people in a residence (E). Construction is exempt from the chapter only between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, and only with working intake and exhaust silencers on any combustion engine; the director of building inspections may allow up to three days of after-hours work for urgent necessity (Sec. 8.68.080 D). Residential property and street-tree maintenance is exempt 7:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. (G); agricultural operations 6:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. (E). Gasoline leaf blowers on or within 200 feet of residential property are allowed only 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. on Sunday (Sec. 8.68.180 A).

Decibel limits

Yes, a full table. Sec. 8.68.060: the exterior standard on agricultural and residential property is 55 dBA (7 a.m.–10 p.m.) and 50 dBA (10 p.m.–7 a.m.), measured at any point on the receiving property (Sec. 8.68.050 B); the standard may be exceeded in any hour by 0 dB for a cumulative 30 minutes, +5 dB for 15 minutes, +10 dB for 5 minutes, +15 dB for 1 minute, and by +20 dB never, so the absolute ceilings are 75 dBA by day and 70 dBA at night (subsection B). Each limit is cut by 5 dBA for impulsive or pure-tone noise or for noise "consisting of speech or music" (C), and raised in 5 dBA steps where the ambient already exceeds a category (D). Sec. 8.68.070: interior limits between units in multi-family buildings, 10 p.m.–7 a.m. only: 45 dBA (more than five minutes in an hour), 50 dBA (more than one minute), 55 dBA (any time), measured at least four feet from the nearest wall, ceiling or floor with windows in normal seasonal position. Sec. 8.68.110: residential fans, air conditioners, pumps, cooling towers and compressors installed after the chapter's effective date may not exceed 60 dBA one foot inside the neighbor's property line, 55 dBA in the center of a neighboring patio, or 55 dBA outside the nearest neighboring living-area window; equipment installed five years after that date is held to 55 dBA at the line, pre-existing equipment to 65 dBA. Sec. 8.68.120 applies the exterior standards to motorcycles and recreational off-road vehicles on or off a road. Sec. 8.68.180 B: gasoline blowers at 50 feet, 65 dBA if acquired after November 15, 1995 (70 dBA for older units). Measurements are A-weighted, slow response, on an ANSI S1.4-1971 Type 2 meter or better (Sec. 8.68.040). Alongside the table, Sec. 8.68.190 keeps a reasonable-person nuisance test ("any loud, unnecessary or unusual noise which disturbs the peace and quiet of any neighborhood") with nine listed factors, and Sec. 8.68.200 M adds a distance test for audio equipment outdoors on public property: audible to a person of normal hearing at 100 feet.

What the ordinance actually says

Sec. 8.68.060 A: "The following noise standards unless otherwise specifically indicated in this article shall apply to all agri-cultural and residential properties. 1. From seven a.m. to ten p.m. the exterior noise standard shall be fifty-five (55) dBA. 2. From ten p.m. to seven a.m. the exterior noise standard shall be fifty (50) dBA."

Sec. 8.68.060 C: "Each of the noise limits specified in subsection B of this section shall be reduced by five dBA for impulsive or simple tone noises, or for noises consisting of speech or music."

Sec. 8.68.070 A: "In any apartment, condominium, townhouse, duplex or multiple dwelling unit it is unlawful for any person to create any noise from inside his or her unit that causes the noise level when measured in a neighboring unit during the periods ten p.m. to seven a.m. to exceed: 1. Forty-five (45) dBA for a cumulative period of more than five minutes in any hour; 2. Fifty (50) dBA for a cumulative period of more than one minute in any hour; 3. Fifty-five (55) dBA for any period of time."

Sec. 8.68.080 D: "Noise sources due to the erection (including excavation), demolition, alteration or repair of any building or structure between the hours of seven a.m. and six p.m., on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and between nine a.m. and six p.m. on Sunday; provided, however, that the operation of an internal combustion engine shall not be exempt pursuant to this subsection if such engine is not equipped with suitable exhaust and intake silencers which are in good working order."

Sec. 8.68.190: "Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter and in addition thereto, it is unlawful for any person to make or continue or cause to be made or continued any loud, unnecessary or unusual noise which disturbs the peace and quiet of any neighborhood or which causes discomfort or annoyance to any reasonable person of normal sensitiveness residing in the area."

Sec. 8.68.180 A: "It is unlawful for any person to operate any portable gasoline-powered blower on residential property or within two hundred (200) feet of residential property, except between the hours of nine a.m. and six p.m. Monday through Saturday and between the hours of ten a.m. and four p.m. on Sunday."

Sec. 8.68.280 A.3: "Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this code, a person commits a separate violation of section 8.68.060 for each 15-minute period in which the violation occurs, and the administrative penalty for each violation is $1,000."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (Sacramento City Code, Title 8 "Health and Safety," Chapter 8.68 "Noise Control": Article I, Secs. 8.68.010–8.68.050 (findings, policy, definitions, sound level measurement); Article II, Secs. 8.68.060 (exterior noise standards), 8.68.070 (interior noise standards), 8.68.080 (exemptions, as amended by Ord. 2026-0003), 8.68.090 (pre-existing facilities), 8.68.100 (sound amplifiers near health care facilities), 8.68.110 (residential pumps, fans and air conditioners), 8.68.120 (off-road vehicles), 8.68.140 (police cost recovery for repeat party responses), 8.68.160–8.68.170 (outdoor recreational activities), 8.68.180 (portable gasoline-powered blowers); Article III, Secs. 8.68.190 (general noise regulations) and 8.68.200 (specific unlawful noises); Article IV, Secs. 8.68.250 (special condition permits), 8.68.260 (variances), 8.68.270 (appeals), 8.68.280 (violations and penalties, as amended by Ord. 2023-0007). Text read on American Legal Publishing (the City's code host, 2026 S-4) on 2026-09-20.). Verified against the live code on 2026-09-20. 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 Sacramento

Per cityofsacramento.gov, Police Department, "Neighborhood Nuisances": loud music, out-of-control parties and loud equipment too early or too late are handled by the Police Department; call the non-emergency dispatch number, 916-808-5471. Daytime noise from commercial or industrial operations, and ongoing or aggravated noise that needs sound-level-meter monitoring, goes to the Code Compliance Division through 3-1-1 (Monday–Saturday 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., Sunday 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.); outside those hours, or for anything not related to a business, call police non-emergency dispatch at 916-808-5471. Bars and entertainment venues whose amplified sound disturbs neighbors are handled by the Police Department's Entertainment Team. Barking dogs: Animal Care Services, 3-1-1 or 916-808-7387. A car alarm still sounding 20 minutes after an officer arrives can be towed under California Vehicle Code Section 22651.5; report it to 916-808-5471. Under Sec. 8.68.280 A, before a citation or arrest the city manager's designee must issue a written notice (naming the provision, the facts, any dBA readings with time and place, and a correction order) or, for the amplifier, party-response and specific-unlawful-noise sections, an oral order to cease; ignoring the notice is a misdemeanor.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in Sacramento. 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) The 55/50 dBA figures are one-hour standards with a duration ladder, so a party can legally hit 70 dBA at night for a moment and still violate the chapter by sitting at 51 dBA for half an hour; and because speech and music lose 5 dBA under Sec. 8.68.060 C, the practical night limit for a stereo is 45 dBA over 30 minutes. (2) Where the ambient is already louder than a category, the limit rises to meet it in 5 dBA steps (8.68.060 D), so busy corridors have higher effective limits than quiet streets. (3) The interior 45/50/55 dBA standard applies only at night and only between units of a multi-family building; there is no daytime interior limit. (4) Construction is exempt on Sunday from 9:00 a.m., a later start than the 7:00 a.m. weekday hour, and only with working silencers; the after-hours allowance is capped at three days (8.68.080 D). (5) The 2023 amendments (Ord. 2023-0007) turned exterior-standard violations into a $1,000 administrative penalty per 15-minute period (8.68.280 A.3) on top of misdemeanor exposure and civil penalties of $250 to $25,000 per day, and moved the sound-amplifier rule to a 100-foot buffer around health care facilities (8.68.100). (6) A second police response to a large party after a written warning is billed to the hosts (or a minor's parents) up to $500 (8.68.140). (7) Outdoor audio equipment in parks and other public property is an audibility offense at 100 feet, needs a verbal or written warning first, and is an infraction fined under Government Code Section 36900(b) (8.68.200 M). (8) Waste-collection vehicles were exempted outright by Ord. 2026-0003 (8.68.080 K). (9) Outdoor sports and recreation facilities have their own limits and hours in Sec. 8.68.160, with a planning-commission deviation procedure in 8.68.170 that this row does not summarize.

Document it before you report it

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