Berkeley, CA Filming & Production: Production Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential zone quiet hours
- 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.
- Commercial zone restricted hours
- 6:30-9:30 a.m., 3:30-6:30 p.m.
- Noise standard
- Not above ambient levels
- Cross-referenced noise law
- BMC Ch. 13.40 sound permit
- Decision maker
- City Manager or designee
Summary
Berkeley bars commercial filming between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. in residentially zoned areas unless the City Manager finds it will not create noise above ambient levels or undue light or glare, and restricts commercial-zone filming during morning and evening rush hours.
No filming shall be permitted between ten p.m. and eight a.m. in areas of the City zoned for residential use, unless the City Manager or their designee determines that the filming would not result in undue light or glare, or noise in excess of the ambient levels during those hours. No filming shall be permitted in areas of the City zoned for commercial use between the hours of six-thirty a.m. to nine-thirty a.m. and three-thirty p.m. to six-thirty p.m. unless the City Manager or their designee determines, after consultation with the traffic engineer and transportation planner that the proposed filming would not have any unreasonable adverse impacts on traffic or parking.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 8031-NS, passed July 28, 2026).
Full Breakdown
050(B) ties permit issuance directly to noise and light impact by time and zone. unless the City Manager or a designee determines the filming will not result in undue light or glare, or noise in excess of the ambient levels during those hours. unless the City Manager, after consulting the traffic engineer and transportation planner, determines the filming will not have unreasonable adverse impacts on traffic or parking. 030(E)(7), the number and kind of vehicles, aircraft, watercraft, animals, musical instruments, sound units and other equipment producing sound or noise, so the City Manager can evaluate ambient-noise impact before granting the permit. 40 (Community Noise) if their production activity would otherwise exceed the exterior noise standards that ordinance sets.
Violations & Fines
Filming in a residential zone between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. without the City Manager's finding that noise and light will stay within ambient levels is grounds for permit denial under 9.78.050, and conducting unpermitted nighttime filming is a violation of Chapter 9.78 punishable under BMC Chapter 1.20. The City Manager can also revoke an already-issued permit if the noise or hours conditions are violated during production.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a film crew shoot overnight in a Berkeley residential neighborhood?
Are there restricted hours for filming in Berkeley's commercial districts?
Does a Berkeley filming permit cover loud equipment like generators or sound systems?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Berkeley
California rules heatmap·Compare Berkeley to another location·View the California filming & production overview
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Production Noise in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Alameda County handle production noise.