Noise Ordinances in Ontario, CA (2026)
8 verified noise ordinances for Ontario, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Ontario does not use a single curfew but enforces lower nighttime exterior noise limits between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. (45 dBA in single-family zones), plus a general loud-and-disturbing-noise prohibition that applies at any hour after a cease-and-desist request.
Nighttime Noise Standards (10 p.m. to 7 a.m.)
Significant RestrictionsOntario Municipal Code § 5-29.04(b)
(b) It is unlawful for any person at any location within the incorporated area of the City to create noise, or to allow the creation of any noise on property owned, leased, occupied or otherwise controlled by such person, which noise causes the noise level, when measured at any location on any other property, to exceed either of the following: (1) The noise standard for the applicable zone for ...
Construction Hours
Ontario Municipal Code section 5-29.09 limits noise-producing construction, remodeling, grading and demolition to 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, unless the activity complies with the dB limits in section 5-29.04 or 5-29.05.
Construction Hours: 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Weekdays, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Weekends
Some RestrictionsOntario Municipal Code § 5-29.09(a)
(a) No person, while engaged in construction, remodeling, digging, grading, demolition or any other related building activity, shall operate any tool, equipment or machine in a manner that produces loud noise that disturbs a person of normal sensitivity who works or resides in the vicinity, or a Police or Code Enforcement Officer, on any weekday except between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p....
Barking Dogs
Ontario Municipal Code Title 6 (Animals) treats persistent barking as a public nuisance: a dog that barks in a substantially continuous manner, day or night, to the annoyance of the neighborhood may be declared a nuisance and abated, supported by two sworn declarations from separate households.
Barking Dogs Deemed a Public Nuisance
Light RestrictionsOntario Municipal Code Sec. 6-1.217 (Barking dogs: Deemed nuisance), Title 6 Animals
A dog which barks in a substantially continuous manner in the daytime or nighttime to the annoyance of people in the neighborhood may be declared to be a nuisance which may be abated by the procedures provided in this article regarding barking dogs.
Leaf Blower Rules
Ontario limits gas and electric leaf blowers, along with chainsaws and mulching machines, to daytime hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Ontario Municipal Code § 5-29.08 makes running one outside those hours a real property maintenance noise violation.
Ontario Leaf Blower Operating Hours
Some RestrictionsOntario Municipal Code § 5-29.08(c)
(c) The use of electrical or gasoline powered blowers, such as commonly used by gardeners or other persons for cleaning lawns, yards, driveways, gutters and other property shall only be allowed between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on a weekday and between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Saturday or Sunday.
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Ontario Municipal Code section 5-29.13 requires a Police Chief permit to operate a loudspeaker or sound amplifier on public property, or at outdoor/indoor events over 100 people that are audible at the property line, and bars sound-amplifying equipment from being used between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.
Amplified Sound Permit and 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Cutoff
Some RestrictionsOntario Municipal Code § 5-29.13(h)
(h) In addition to any other provisions of this Code, the use of sound-amplifying equipment and sound trucks in the City shall be subject to the following regulations: (1) The only sounds permitted are music and human speech; (2) Sound shall not be emitted within one hundred (100) yards of hospitals, churches, schools and City Hall; (3) The volume of sound shall be controlled so that it will no...
Aircraft Noise
No Ontario-specific ordinance directly regulates aircraft noise; the City's noise chapter exempts activities preempted by state or federal law (OMC 5-29.06(h)), and aircraft noise is governed by FAA federal preemption and California's 65 dB CNEL airport noise standard (21 CCR 5012).
Aircraft Noise: Federally Preempted; CA 65 dB CNEL Standard
Some RestrictionsCal. Code Regs. tit. 21, Sec. 5012 (Airport Noise Standard); cf. OMC Sec. 5-29.06(h)
The standard for the acceptable level of aircraft noise for persons living in the vicinity of airports is hereby established to be a community noise equivalent level of 65 decibels. No airport proprietor of a noise problem airport shall operate an airport with a noise impact area based on the standard of 65 dB CNEL unless the operator has applied for or received a variance.
Decibel Limits
Ontario divides every parcel into five noise zones and sets numeric dBA ceilings for each: 65 dBA daytime for single-family and multi-family homes, dropping to 45 dBA and 50 dBA at night, 65/60 dBA for commercial property, and a flat 70 dBA day and night for mixed-use residential and manufacturing/industrial zones under Ontario Municipal Code § 5-29.04.
Ontario Decibel Limits by Noise Zone
Some RestrictionsOntario Municipal Code § 5-29.04(a)
(a) The following exterior noise standards, unless otherwise specifically indicated, shall apply to all properties within a designated noise zone. Allowable Exterior Noise Level (1) Allowed Equivalent Noise Level, Leq. (2) Noise Zone Type of Land Use 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. I Single-Family Residential 65 dBA 45 dBA II Multi-Family Residential,...
Vehicle Noise
Ontario Municipal Code section 5-29.14 prohibits operating any motor vehicle in a condition that creates excessive, impulsive or intrusive noise, including exhaust noise from engines or motorcycles, and requires compliance with the California Vehicle Code.
Motor Vehicle and Exhaust Noise Prohibited
Some RestrictionsOntario Municipal Code § 5-29.14
The use of any motor vehicle in such a condition as to create excessive, impulsive or intrusive noises is prohibited. The discharge into the open air of the exhaust of any internal combustion engine, stationary or mounted on wheels, motorboat or motor vehicle, including motor cycle, whether or not discharged through a muffler or other similar device, which discharge creates excessive, unusual, ...
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