Berkeley, CA Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Shutoff deadline
- 15 minutes from trigger
- Applies to
- Motor vehicle and exterior burglar/fire alarms
- Prior warning required
- No, not for this subsection
- Governing section
- BMC § 13.40.070(B)(10)(c)
- Charge level
- Misdemeanor or infraction, BMC Ch. 1.20
Summary
A motor vehicle burglar alarm sounding in Berkeley must shut off within 15 minutes of any single security violation or false alarm. There is no warning step for this one: measurement alone is enough to cite a violation.
(c) Sounding or permitting the sounding of any exterior burglar or fire alarm or any motor vehicle burglar alarm, unless such alarm is terminated within 15 minutes of any single security violation or false alarm.
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
070(B)(10)(c) prohibits sounding or permitting the sounding of any exterior burglar or fire alarm, including a motor vehicle burglar alarm, unless it terminates within 15 minutes of a single security violation or false alarm. m. 040 to arise, since the 15-minute clock itself is the objective trigger. A car alarm that resets and re-triggers repeatedly, or that a vehicle owner cannot silence, can draw repeat citations each time the 15-minute window is exceeded. The prohibition applies citywide regardless of zoning district, unlike the dBA-based standards elsewhere in the chapter.
Violations & Fines
Because neither the warning nor measurement procedure applies to this subsection, a car alarm running past 15 minutes is itself the violation. Under Section 13.40.030(B), any violation of Chapter 13.40 may be charged as a misdemeanor or an infraction as set forth in BMC Chapter 1.20, and is independently declared a public nuisance abatable under Sections 11.40.010 through 11.44.030.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a car alarm legally blare in Berkeley?
Does the city warn a car owner before citing them?
Does the alarm rule only cover cars?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Berkeley
California rules heatmap·Compare Berkeley to another location·View the California noise from specific sources overview
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Car Alarm Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Alameda County handle car alarm limits.