Noise Ordinances in Santa Rosa, CA (2026)
5 verified noise ordinances for Santa Rosa, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Barking Dogs
Santa Rosa treats a barking dog as a public nuisance only after an Animal Control Officer receives three or more written complaints from separate households or workplaces in the same neighborhood. The officer then investigates, and if a nuisance is confirmed, serves the owner written notice to abate it. Ignoring that notice is a separate offense under Chapter 1-28, punishable as a misdemeanor or infraction.
Santa Rosa Barking Dog Nuisance Procedure
Some RestrictionsSanta Rosa City Code § 7-08.020
Whenever an Animal Control Officer receives three or more complaints or affirmations in writing from persons having separate residences in the same neighborhood or employed regularly in the same neighborhood that any animal is a habitual nuisance by reason of trespassing, howling, barking or other noise, or by damage to property, by vicious action or propensity, or by any other means or conditi...
Leaf Blower Rules
Santa Rosa bans gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn brooms in residential districts between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. on weekdays, and between 8 p.m. and 9 a.m. on weekends. Municipal Code Section 17-16.125 makes a violation an infraction capped at a $100 fine, giving residents a fixed nighttime and early-morning quiet window for gas-powered yard equipment.
Santa Rosa Gas Leaf Blower Hour Limits
Some RestrictionsSanta Rosa City Code § 17-16.125
§ 17-16.125. Leaf blowers. (A) Offense. It is unlawful for any person to operate any gas-powered leaf blower or lawn broom in a residential district between the hours of eight p.m. and eight a.m. on weekdays or between the hours of eight p.m. and nine a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. (B) Penalty. A violation of this section shall constitute an infraction with a maximum penalty of a fine not to ex...
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Santa Rosa limits amplified sound equipment to music or human speech, running only between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, with commercial amplified sound barred entirely on Sundays and holidays. Municipal Code Section 17-16.170 also caps the sound level at 15 decibels above the ambient base level and bans use within 200 feet of a church, school, or hospital.
Santa Rosa Amplified Sound Hours and Decibel Cap
Significant RestrictionsSanta Rosa City Code § 17-16.170
§ 17-16.170. Regulations generally. The commercial and noncommercial use of sound-amplifying equipment shall be subject to the following regulations. (A) The only sounds permitted shall be either music or human speech, or both. (B) The operation of sound-amplifying equipment shall only occur between the hours of nine a.m. and six p.m. each day except on Sundays and legal holidays. No operation ...
Decibel Limits
Santa Rosa sets numeric ambient noise ceilings by zoning district and time of day in Municipal Code Section 17-16.030. Residential (R1/R2) properties are capped at 45 decibels overnight and 55 during the day, while industrial zones may run up to 70 decibels at any hour. Exceeding the ambient level by more than five decibels at a property line is treated as prima facie proof of a violation.
Santa Rosa Ambient Noise Decibel Limits by Zone
Some RestrictionsSanta Rosa City Code § 17-16.030
The following criteria will be used as a base (ambient noise level) from which noise levels can be compared. Zone / Time / Sound Level A (decibels): R1 and R2, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., 45; R1 and R2, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., 50; R1 and R2, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., 55; Multi-family, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., 50; Multi-family, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., 55; Office & Commercial, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., 55; Office & Commercial, 7 a.m. t...
Vehicle Noise
Santa Rosa outlaws 'pandemoniac' vehicles built or driven to create tire-squeal noise on any street, and separately caps ordinary vehicle noise at the levels set by California Vehicle Code Section 23130. Municipal Code Sections 17-16.130 and 17-16.150 punish a first tire-squeal violation with a $25 infraction fine, rising to a misdemeanor for repeat offenders.
Santa Rosa Tire-Squeal and Vehicle Noise Ban
Some RestrictionsSanta Rosa City Code §§ 17-16.130, 17-16.150
§ 17-16.130. Pandemoniac vehicles defined—Prohibited—Violation—Penalty. (A) Defined. A "pandemoniac motor vehicle" is a motor vehicle of any appearance, performance or capability, designed, constructed or operated in such a manner as to create audible noise related to tire friction by accelerating said vehicle. (B) Prohibited. It is unlawful for any person to operate a pandemoniac motor vehicle...
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