Noise Ordinances in Huntington Beach, CA (2026)
7 verified noise ordinances for Huntington Beach, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Huntington Beach bans any noise lasting more than five minutes between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. that is audible 50 feet or more from its source. The same nighttime window also restricts loud handling of boxes, crates and delivery equipment near homes.
Huntington Beach Nighttime Noise Curfew
Some RestrictionsHuntington Beach Municipal Code § 8.40.112(B)
Make or allow to be made any noise which continues for more than a five-minute period between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. if such noise is audible for 50 feet or more from the source of the noise.
Construction Hours
Huntington Beach exempts permitted construction noise from its general noise limits only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday; construction noise loses that exemption entirely on Sundays and federal holidays, and even during allowed hours average noise cannot exceed 80 dBA Leq at nearby sensitive uses.
Huntington Beach Construction Noise Hour Limits
Some RestrictionsHuntington Beach, CA, Municipal Code § 8.40.090(D) (Special Provisions - Construction Noise Exemption)
Noise sources associated with construction, repair, remodeling, or grading of any real property, provided that: (1) the City has issued a building, grading or similar permit for such activities; (2) said activities do not take place between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., Monday through Saturday, or at any time on Sunday or a Federal holiday; and (3) the average construction noise levels ...
Barking Dogs
Huntington Beach Municipal Code Section 7.12.070 declares it a nuisance for any animal, including fowl, kept on a lot in the City to interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property of an entire community, neighborhood, or a considerable number of persons by its sound or cry. A barking dog that meets that standard is a code violation, not just an annoyance to one neighbor.
Huntington Beach Barking Dog Noise Rule
Some RestrictionsHuntington Beach, CA, Municipal Code § 7.12.070 (Noisy Animals)
It is a nuisance, and no person shall keep, maintain or permit upon any lot or parcel of land within the City under his or her control, any animal or animals, including any fowl, which by any sound or cry, shall interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property by an entire community or neighborhood, or by any considerable number of persons.
Leaf Blower Rules
Huntington Beach limits leaf blower use near homes: 15 minutes per hour on parcels under half an acre, an 8 a.m.-7 p.m. weekday window, a 70 dBA cap measured 10 feet away, and a ban on blowing debris off the property or letting it sit for more than 30 minutes.
Huntington Beach Leaf Blower Noise Rules
Some RestrictionsHuntington Beach, CA, Municipal Code § 8.40.095 (Leaf Blowers)
It is unlawful for any person to use or operate any leaf blower in such a manner as to blow, dispel or make airborne, dust, leaves, grass cuttings, paper, trash or any other type of unattached debris or material, beyond the parcel boundaries of the parcel being cleaned, unless the consent of the adjoining owner or person in possession is obtained... It is unlawful for any person to operate a le...
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Huntington Beach caps amplified sound in places of public entertainment at 90 dBA measured on slow response at any customer area, unless the venue posts a conspicuous hearing-impairment warning sign at its entrance. Elsewhere, amplified radios, stereos and speakers that disturb the peace are separately banned outright.
Huntington Beach Amplified Sound Decibel Cap
Some RestrictionsHuntington Beach, CA, Municipal Code § 8.40.112(F) (Loud Noises - Sound Amplifying Equipment)
Operate, play or permit the operation of any sound amplifying equipment in any place of public entertainment at a sound level greater than 90 dBA as read by the slow response on a sound level meter at any point that is normally occupied by customers, unless a conspicuous and legible sign is located immediately outside or near the public entrance stating, "Warning: Sound Levels Within May Cause ...
Decibel Limits
Huntington Beach's noise code sets numeric decibel ceilings by land use and time of day. Low-density residential property is capped at 55 dBA average (Leq) and 75 dBA peak (Lmax) from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., dropping to 50/70 dBA overnight, measured at the receiving property line.
Huntington Beach Exterior Noise Decibel Limits
Some RestrictionsHuntington Beach, CA, Municipal Code § 8.40.050 (Exterior Noise Standards)
It is unlawful for any person at any location within the incorporated area of the City to create any noise due to a fixed noise source (or any mobile source not preempted by State or Federal laws)... which causes the noise level when measured at the property line of any residential, hotel, motel, public institutional, recreational, or commercial property... to exceed the applicable noise standa...
Vehicle Noise
Huntington Beach requires every motor vehicle and motorcycle operated in the city to run with a working muffler or other sound-dissipative device, and bars removing or disabling one except for maintenance, repair or replacement. Repairing, rebuilding or testing a vehicle in a way that disturbs a neighboring property is also unlawful.
Huntington Beach Vehicle Muffler Noise Law
Some RestrictionsHuntington Beach, CA, Municipal Code § 8.40.112(I) (Loud Noises - Muffler Requirement)
Operate or cause to be operated any motor vehicle or motorcycle not equipped with a muffler or other sound dissipative device in good working order and in constant operation. No person shall remove or render inoperative, or cause to be removed or rendered inoperative, other than for purposes of maintenance, repair, or replacement, any muffler or sound dissipative device on a motor vehicle or mo...
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