Folsom, CA Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)

Section 8.42.060(C) of the Municipal Code exempts noise sources associated with construction from the chapter's general exterior and interior noise standards, but only provided the activity does not take place before 7 a.m. or after 6 p.m. on any weekday, or before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m. on Saturday or Sunday. This exemption sits inside Chapter 8.42, whose enforcement officer is the community development director or an authorized deputy per Section 8.42.020, and it is narrower than the parks exemption in the same section, which runs through 11 p.m. for lighted facilities, and narrower still than the residential maintenance exemption in subsection D, which runs to dusk.

Construction noise generated outside the permitted windows, such as early-morning grading or late-evening framing work, is not exempt and must instead satisfy Table 8.42.040's exterior standards, which cap sustained noise at 45 dBA in the 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. nighttime category at any affected residence, school, church, hospital, or public library, or the interior standards of Table 8.42.050 if the noise reaches inside a nearby dwelling. Measurement follows the calibrated A-weighted sound level meter protocol of Section 8.42.030, taken within 50 feet of the affected exterior use or inside the affected interior dwelling unit as applicable.

Section 8.42.040(C) further reduces any applicable standard by 5 dBA for simple tone noises or noises consisting primarily of speech, which can apply to sustained mechanical construction equipment operating outside the permitted hours.