Costa Mesa, CA Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)

Section 13-279 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code exempts construction equipment, vehicles and work from the city's general noise chapter only if it operates within approved hours and the required building, repair or remodeling permits have been obtained. m. on Saturdays. Construction is prohibited during all hours on Sundays and on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. The only other categorical exemption is for emergency machinery, vehicles or work needed to protect or restore safe conditions in the community.

A contractor who needs to work outside these windows must apply to the development services director or a designee for a minor modification granting a temporary waiver. The director's decision must weigh the unusual circumstances requiring the off-hours work against the short-term impacts on nearby residential and business areas, and findings must state whether the extended hours would be materially detrimental to the health, safety and general welfare of people living or working near the site. Critically, even with an approved waiver, construction work outside the standard hours remains subject to the city's separate noise regulations in the Noise Control chapter, meaning a waiver on timing does not exempt a contractor from the decibel limits that otherwise apply.

Work done within the approved hours but exceeding the applicable decibel limits, or work done any time without the required permits, receives no protection under § 13-279 at all.