Berkeley, CA Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Berkeley, CA, sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances, set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Key Facts
- Weekday hours barred
- Before 7 a.m. / after 7 p.m.
- Weekend/holiday hours barred
- Before 9 a.m. / after 8 p.m.
- Mobile equipment cap, R-1/R-2 weekday
- 75 dBA
- Stationary equipment cap, R-1/R-2 weekday
- 60 dBA
- Enforcing agency
- Environmental Health Division / NCO
Summary
Construction and demolition work in Berkeley is barred before 7 a.m. and after 7 p.m. on weekdays, and before 9 a.m. or after 8 p.m. on weekends and holidays, if the noise crosses a property line above code limits. Mobile equipment also faces separate dBA ceilings by zone.
(a) Operating or causing the operation of any tools or equipment used in construction, drilling, repair, alteration, or demolition work before 7:00 a.m. on a weekday (or before 9:00 a.m. on a weekend or holiday) or after 7:00 p.m. on a weekday (or after 8:00 p.m. on a weekend or holiday) such that the sound therefrom across a residential or commercial real property line violates Section 13.40.050 or 13.40.060, except for emergency work of public service utilities or by variance issued by the EHD.
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
060. Emergency work by public service utilities, and work covered by an Environmental Health Division (EHD) variance, are excluded. 070(B)(7)(b) layers on a separate technically-and-economically-feasible schedule: short-term mobile equipment (under 10 days) may not exceed 75 dBA weekdays / 60 dBA weekends at R-1/R-2 residential properties, rising to 80/65 dBA at R-3-and-above multi-family properties and 85/70 dBA at commercial or industrial properties. Longer-term stationary equipment (10 days or more) is capped lower: 60/50 dBA at R-1/R-2, 65/55 dBA at R-3-and-above, and 70/60 dBA at commercial/industrial. 070.
Violations & Fines
Violations require the two-track process: an NCO warning under Section 13.40.030(C), followed by a measurement under Section 13.40.040, before a citation can issue. Under Section 13.40.030(B), any violation of Chapter 13.40 may be charged as a misdemeanor or infraction under BMC Chapter 1.20 and is separately declared a public nuisance abatable under Sections 11.40.010 through 11.44.030. The EHD may also grant a case-by-case administrative exception under Section 13.40.080(D), appealable to the City Manager within 30 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a contractor start jackhammering at 6 a.m. in Berkeley?
Is there a decibel limit even during allowed hours?
What excuses a contractor from these hours?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Berkeley
How Berkeley compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·California rules heatmap·Compare Berkeley to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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Construction Hours in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Alameda County handle construction hours.