Noise Ordinances in Daly City, CA: What Residents Actually Need to Know

If you live in Daly City or are thinking about moving there, noise ordinances are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Daly City has 10 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of noise ordinances, and some of them might surprise you.

Decibel Limits

Daly City does NOT set numeric decibel (dB or dB(A)) limits. The Municipal Code uses a qualitative standard: § 9.22.010 prohibits noise that disturbs the public peace, and § 9.22.030 prohibits any noise audible beyond the property line between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Officers determine violations based on audibility and reasonableness, not sound-level meter readings.

Key details: Daytime dB limit: None — qualitative 'disturbs the peace' (§ 9.22.010). Nighttime rule: 10 p.m. - 6 a.m., no audible noise across property line (§ 9.22.030). Enforcement method: Officer audibility test, not sound meter. Loud-party civil fine: $1,500 first offense (§ 9.23.030). Planning guidance: 65 dB CNEL residential compatibility (General Plan Noise Element).

Violations of § 9.22.010 and § 9.22.030 are typically infractions under Daly City Code Title 1 general penalty provisions. Loud party hosts may also be cited under Chapter 9.23 (Loud or Unruly Gatherings) with civil fines starting at $1,500 (§ 9.23.030).

Industrial Noise

Daly City Municipal Code § 9.22.010 and § 9.22.030 regulate industrial noise under a qualitative public-nuisance standard rather than fixed decibel limits. Between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., no industrial operation may emit noise audible beyond the property line. During daytime hours, industrial noise that disturbs the public peace is prohibited under § 9.22.010 regardless of decibel level.

Key details: Primary ordinance: Daly City MC § 9.22.010 (Disturbing the Peace). Nighttime audibility limit: 10 p.m. - 6 a.m., no noise across property line (§ 9.22.030). Numeric dB limit: None — qualitative nuisance standard. Worker-facing standard: Cal/OSHA 8 CCR § 5096 (90 dBA 8-hr PEL). Enforcement: Daly City Police + Code Enforcement.

Misdemeanor under § 9.22.010 (per Daly City Code Title 1 general penalty). Code enforcement typically issues administrative citations first; repeat offenders may receive cease-and-desist orders or have their business license reviewed under Title 5.

Vehicle Noise

No Daly City-specific ordinance directly addresses vehicle noise; California Vehicle Code defaults apply, requiring adequate mufflers on all registered vehicles and prohibiting car sound systems audible 50 or more feet away on a highway.

Key details: Local vehicle-noise ordinance: None; state law applies. Muffler rule: Required, no cutouts (CVC 27150). Car stereo limit: Not audible at 50 feet (CVC 27007). Enforcement: Police traffic citation.

Muffler and loud-stereo violations are state Vehicle Code infractions cited by police during traffic stops; booming audio from a parked vehicle that is audible off-property at night can also be cited under Municipal Code Section 9.22.030.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Daly City gives residents more flexibility on vehicle noise.

Outdoor Music

Daly City Municipal Code § 9.22.020 requires a written permit from the Chief of Police BEFORE operating any loudspeaker or sound amplifier that projects sound outside a building or outdoors anywhere in the city. The permit must state the permittee, authorized purpose, time/place, and termination date. Operating outdoor amplification without this permit is a prosecutable offense.

Key details: Permit requirement: Yes — § 9.22.020, Chief of Police, in writing. Permit must specify: Permittee, purpose, time/place, termination date. Nighttime cutoff: 10 p.m. (§ 9.22.030 audibility rule). Loud-gathering fine: $1,500 / $2,000 / $53,000 (§ 9.23.030). Cost recovery: Police response cost billed to host (§ 9.23.030(b)).

Violation of § 9.22.020 is a misdemeanor under Daly City Code general penalty. Combined with the § 9.23.030 loud-gathering civil fine, a single non-permitted outdoor amplified party with underage drinking can result in a $1,500 first-offense civil fine plus cost recovery for police response.

This is one of the stricter rules in Daly City's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Leaf Blower Rules

No Daly City-specific ordinance directly addresses leaf blowers; the municipal code's only noise controls are the general disturbing-the-peace rules of Chapter 9.22, so blowers cannot be run audibly off-property from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. State law now requires new small engines to be zero-emission.

Key details: Local leaf blower ordinance: None. Practical limit: Quiet hours 10:00 p.m.-6:00 a.m.. Gas equipment sales: New small engines zero-emission (2024+). State law: Health and Safety Code 43018.11.

There is no leaf-blower citation in Daly City; operation that disturbs the public peace (Section 9.22.010) or is audible beyond the property between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. (Section 9.22.030) is enforceable as disturbing the peace.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Daly City gives residents more flexibility on leaf blower rules.

Amplified Music & Events

Municipal Code Section 9.22.020 requires a written permit from the chief of police before operating any loudspeaker or sound amplifier that projects sound outside a building or outdoors anywhere in Daly City, at any hour.

Key details: Permit issuer: Chief of police. Applies to: Any sound projected outdoors citywide. Permit contents: Name, purpose, time, place, end date. Nighttime limit: No audible sound off-property 10pm-6am.

Operating outdoor amplified sound without a police-issued permit violates Section 9.22.020 and is enforceable by the Daly City Police Department as disturbing the peace; nighttime amplified sound audible off-property also violates Section 9.22.030.

Compared to other cities, Daly City takes a harder line on amplified music & events. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Aircraft Noise

Aircraft departing San Francisco International Airport make the Serramonte neighborhood Daly City's main aircraft-noise area, with flyovers reaching 85-95 dBA. Municipal Code Section 15.00.130 requires homes built after 1993 within the FAA-approved 65 CNEL contour to be insulated to FAA program standards.

Key details: Main affected area: Serramonte neighborhood. Flyover maximums: 85-95 dBA Lmax. Serramonte CNEL: 70 dBA. Insulation rule: Post-1993 homes in 65 CNEL contour. ALUCP: SFO plan adopted by C/CAG, Nov 2012.

Aircraft in flight are federally regulated, so the City cannot cite overflights; enforcement operates through land-use controls, including denial of inconsistent projects in Airport Influence Area B, required avigation easements, and the Section 15.00.130 insulation requirement at building permit stage.

Construction Hours

Daly City's municipal code sets no construction-hour limits, maximum sound levels, or vibration standards, a gap the City's own environmental review confirms. The general nighttime rule in Section 9.22.030 still effectively bars construction noise audible off-site from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

Key details: Citywide construction hours: None set by municipal code. Maximum sound levels: None set by municipal code. Vibration standards: None in municipal code. Practical night limit: 10:00 p.m.-6:00 a.m. (Sec. 9.22.030). New-construction interior limit: 45 dBA CNEL (Title 24).

There is no construction-hours citation to issue, but construction noise heard off-site between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. violates Section 9.22.030, and disruptive work at any hour can be enforced as disturbing the peace under Section 9.22.010.

The rules around construction hours in Daly City lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Quiet Hours

Daly City Municipal Code Section 9.22.030 sets quiet hours from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., during which no noise, music, or sound from a property may be heard beyond its confines or disturb anyone outside it. A general disturbing-the-peace ban (Section 9.22.010) applies around the clock.

Key details: Quiet hours: 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.. Nighttime standard: Not audible beyond the property. Daytime standard: No disturbance of public peace. Decibel limits: None in municipal code. Loud party fine (first): $1,500 civil citation.

Daly City police enforce Chapter 9.22 as disturbing the peace. Loud or unruly gatherings involving underage drinking draw civil citations under Chapter 9.23 of $1,500 for a first violation and $2,000 for a second, plus recovery of public-safety response costs.

Barking Dogs

No Daly City ordinance specifically addresses barking dogs. Chronic barking is enforced under the general disturbing-the-peace chapter, including the 10:00 p.m.-6:00 a.m. ban on noise audible beyond the property, and complaints go to Daly City police rather than the animal-control contractor.

Key details: Barking-specific ordinance: None; general noise rules apply. Nighttime rule: No barking audible off-property 10pm-6am. Anytime rule: No disturbance of public peace. Complaints go to: Daly City police, not PHS/SPCA.

Persistent barking that disturbs the peace, or any barking audible beyond the property between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., violates Chapter 9.22 and is enforceable by Daly City police, with chronic cases handled through the City's code enforcement and nuisance-abatement process.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Daly City gives residents more room on noise ordinances. 3 of the 10 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

All of the above reflects Daly City's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.