Davis, CA Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Davis, 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
- 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
- Weekend hours
- 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
- Equipment limit
- 83 dBA at 25 ft, or 86 dBA at property line
- Extended-hours permit
- 6:00 a.m. start, 200+ ft from homes, June 15-Sept 1
- Approving official
- Director of Public Works (mufflers/shields)
Summary
Davis permits construction and landscape equipment noise only between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on weekends under Municipal Code Section 24.02.040(b). Work must also stay under an 83 dBA equipment limit or an 86 dBA property-line limit to qualify for the exemption.
(b) Construction and landscape maintenance equipment. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, and between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, construction, alteration, repair or maintenance activities which are authorized by valid city permit or business license, or carried out by employees of contractors of the city shall be allowed if they meet at least one of the following noise limitations: (1) No individual piece of equipment shall produce a noise level exceeding eighty-three dBA at a distance of twenty-five feet. ... Construction projects located more than two hundred feet from existing homes may request a special use permit to begin work at 6:00 a.m. on weekdays from June 15th until September 1st. No percussion type tools (such as ramsets or jackhammers) can be used before 7:00 a.m. The permit shall be revoked if any noise complaint is received by the police department.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4915048; v22 updated 2026-05-19).
Full Breakdown
m. on Saturday and Sunday. To qualify, the work must meet at least one of two noise limitations: no individual piece of equipment may exceed eighty-three dBA measured twenty-five feet away, or the noise level at any point outside the project's property plane must stay at or below eighty-six dBA. Impact tools such as pavement breakers and jackhammers are excused from those two numeric limits, but must carry manufacturer-recommended intake and exhaust mufflers, and jackhammers and pavement breakers must also use acoustically attenuating shields, all approved by the director of public works.
, and the permit is revoked outright if the police department receives any noise complaint. Powered blowers get their own limit of seventy dBA at fifty feet, cannot run within one hundred feet of another blower at the same time, and are excused from the seventy-dBA cap on single-family residential property if used for less than ten minutes at a time.
Violations & Fines
Construction noise outside these hours, or above the applicable dBA limit within them, loses the Section 24.02.040(b) exemption and falls back under Section 24.02.030's absolute ceiling of the Table No. 1 limit plus twenty dBA, capped at eighty dBA. A violation is an infraction for the first two offenses within a year under Section 24.01.030 and a misdemeanor on a third, with each day charged separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time can construction start in Davis?
Can a construction crew start earlier than 7 a.m. in Davis?
Is there a noise limit for leaf blowers in Davis?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Davis
How Davis compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·California rules heatmap·Compare Davis to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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