Alameda County, CA Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Cutoff time
- 15 minutes after activation
- Covers
- Vehicle, burglar, and fire alarms
- 2005 grace period
- 90 days for existing alarms
- Applies in
- Unincorporated area only
Summary
Unincorporated Alameda County requires any motor-vehicle burglar alarm to shut off within 15 minutes of activation: covering Castro Valley and other unincorporated communities, not Oakland, Berkeley, or the county's other cities.
5.Sounding or permitting the sounding of any exterior burglar or fire alarm or any motor vehicle burglar alarm unless such alarm is terminated within fifteen (15) minutes of activation. Pre-existing installations will be allowed a period of ninety (90) days for correction;
Full Breakdown
Alameda County Code § 6.60.050(B)(5) bans sounding or permitting the sounding of any exterior burglar or fire alarm, or any motor-vehicle burglar alarm, unless it's terminated within fifteen minutes of activation; alarms installed before the 2005 ordinance got a ninety-day grace period to comply. This applies only in the unincorporated county, Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Ashland, and similar communities, never inside Oakland, Berkeley, or the county's other incorporated cities, each of which runs its own alarm rules. The county's environmental health director enforces this subsection, not peace officers.
Violations & Fines
An alarm that runs past 15 minutes is an infraction: $100 first offense, $200 for a second within a year, $500 for each one after, under § 6.60.090.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a car alarm legally sound in Alameda County?
Does this apply inside the city of Alameda?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alameda County
California rules heatmap·Compare Alameda County to another location·View the California noise from specific sources overview
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