Noise Ordinances in Livermore, CA

If you live in Livermore or are thinking about moving there, noise ordinances are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Livermore has 7 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of noise ordinances, and some of them might surprise you.

Aircraft Noise

Pilots and other aircraft operators using Livermore Municipal Airport must follow the City's published noise abatement procedures under Livermore Municipal Code Section 11.08.020(M). The Airport Commission oversees the airport's noise monitoring and reduction program, and rule violations can bring lease or permit termination under Section 11.08.170.

Key details: Governing duty: Follow City's published noise abatement procedures. Citation: LMC Section 11.08.020(M). Oversight body: Airport Commission, Section 2.41.020(G)(3). Enforcer: Airport manager under Section 11.08.170. Appeal window: 10 days after violation notice.

Violating the Section 11.08.020(M) noise-abatement duty or any other Chapter 11.08 airport rule exposes an operator to the City's full legal, equitable, statutory, and contractual remedies under Section 11.08.170, including termination of an airport lease or commercial aviation permit and liability for the City's enforcement costs and attorney's fees. The airport manager may also suspend or revoke a violator's airport privileges outright.

Vehicle Noise

Livermore Municipal Code Sec. 9.36.050 makes it unlawful to discharge exhaust from a motor vehicle, motorboat or stationary engine into the open air unless a muffler keeps the noise from being audible 75 feet away or beyond the property line, whichever distance is greater.

Key details: Governing section: LMC Sec. 9.36.050. Audibility standard: Not audible at 75 ft or property line. Covers: Vehicles, boats, stationary engines. First offense: Infraction, LMC Sec. 1.16.010. Third citation: Misdemeanor, Penal Code Sec. 19.

Violating Section 9.36.050 is an infraction under LMC Section 1.16.010, with fine amounts set by Government Code Section 36900. A third infraction citation for the same conduct is prosecuted as a misdemeanor under Penal Code Section 19, and each day the loud exhaust is used constitutes a separate offense under Section 1.16.040.

Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound

Livermore Municipal Code Sec. 9.36.090 bars operating a radio, phonograph or other sound device loud enough to disturb neighbors at any hour, and treats audibility at 75 feet or the property line between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. as prima facie proof of a violation.

Key details: Governing section: LMC Sec. 9.36.090. Daytime standard: No louder than needed for voluntary listeners. Nighttime hours: 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.. Nighttime audibility test: 75 feet or property line. First offense: Infraction, LMC Sec. 1.16.010.

A violation of Section 9.36.090 is an infraction under LMC Section 1.16.010, with the fine set by Government Code Section 36900. Playing a device audibly at 75 feet or beyond the property line between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. is treated as prima facie proof of the violation, and a third citation for the same conduct is a misdemeanor under Penal Code Section 19.

Quiet Hours

Livermore Municipal Code Sec. 9.36.110(B) sets a 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. quiet-hours window barring outdoor noise from a permitted short-term rental that annoys or disturbs neighbors, a narrower nighttime curfew than the chapter's general 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. standard.

Key details: Governing section: LMC Sec. 9.36.110(B). Quiet hours: 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.. Applies to: Permitted short-term rentals, outdoor noise. Cross-reference: Chapter 5.90 LMC (STR permitting). First offense: Infraction, LMC Sec. 1.16.010.

A violation of the 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. quiet-hours rule in Section 9.36.110(B) is an infraction under LMC Section 1.16.010, with fines set by Government Code Section 36900, and a third citation for the same conduct becomes a misdemeanor under Penal Code Section 19. Repeat violations can also jeopardize the property's short-term rental permit under Chapter 5.90 LMC.

Construction Hours

Livermore bars pile drivers, pneumatic tools and similar construction equipment during set weeknight, weekend and holiday hours under LMC Sec. 9.36.080, but Sec. 9.36.110 lets owner-builders work 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily and lets the city engineer approve exceptions.

Key details: Contractor equipment ban: LMC Sec. 9.36.080. Weeknight cutoff: 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.. Owner-builder hours: 7:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m., 7 days (Sec. 9.36.110(A)). Holidays: No construction noise allowed. Exception notice: 24 hrs to police watch commander + neighbors.

Running restricted equipment like pile drivers or pneumatic tools outside the permitted hours violates Section 9.36.080 and is an infraction under LMC Section 1.16.010, with fines set by Government Code Section 36900. A third citation for the same conduct becomes a misdemeanor under Penal Code Section 19, and each day of continuing violation is a separate offense under Section 1.16.040.

Barking Dogs

Livermore declares it unlawful and a nuisance for any animal owner to knowingly let their pet's barking or noise disturb a neighbor's peace and quiet under LMC § 6.04.060(A). Owners must act immediately to quiet a noisy animal and cannot leave it unattended where prolonged or repeated barking disturbs others.

Key details: Governing rule: LMC § 6.04.060(A), nuisance-barking standard. Owner duty: Take immediate steps to quiet the animal. Unattended-dog rule: No leaving dog where barking disturbs others. Standard used: Prolonged/repeated disturbance, not a decibel limit. Enforcement: Animal control officer, peace-officer powers under § 6.08.010.

A dog owner who knowingly lets barking disturb a neighbor's peace and quiet, or leaves the dog unattended where its noise is prolonged or repeated, violates LMC § 6.04.060(A). The same section separately covers property damage, waste left on another's property, and animals that chase or attack people or other pets. Animal control officers, who hold peace-officer powers under § 6.08.010, investigate and enforce Title 6 nuisance violations.

Leaf Blower Rules

California Health and Safety Code Section 43018.11 orders the state Air Resources Board to adopt rules by July 1, 2022 banning exhaust and evaporative emissions from new small off-road engines, the category that covers gas leaf blowers, effective for engines built on or after January 1, 2024. Livermore has no separate local leaf-blower ordinance; the statewide phase-out is what actually governs new equipment sold or manufactured for use in the City.

Key details: Statute: Cal. Health & Safety Code §43018.11. Added by: AB 1346 (Stats. 2021, Ch. 753). Effective: January 1, 2022. Regulation deadline: State board rules due July 1, 2022. New-engine cutoff: Engines produced on/after Jan. 1, 2024.

Section 43018.11 itself sets no fine or misdemeanor for using a gas leaf blower; it is a rulemaking directive to the state board, not a use restriction enforced by Livermore. Once CARB's small-off-road-engine regulations phase in for engines built on or after January 1, 2024, enforcement runs against manufacturers and sellers of noncompliant new equipment under the state board's own certification and compliance program, not against residents already owning older gas blowers.

Compared to other cities, Livermore takes a harder line on leaf blower rules. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

The Bottom Line

Livermore's noise ordinances rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Livermore is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that Livermore can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.