San Francisco, CA Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)

Police Code Section 2908 is a noise-conditioned curfew rather than a flat ban. of the following day, it is unlawful in San Francisco to erect, construct, demolish, excavate for, alter, or repair any building or structure if the noise created exceeds the ambient noise level by 5 dBA at the nearest property plane. The trigger is the noise, not the activity itself: genuinely quiet work can lawfully continue overnight, because the prohibition applies only once the 5 dBA over ambient threshold is crossed at the nearest property plane.

The standard is also relative to ambient rather than a fixed decibel figure, so the effective limit tightens on quiet residential blocks where ambient levels are low, and loosens along corridors that are already loud at night. The covered activities span the whole construction lifecycle, from excavation through erection and construction to demolition, alteration, and repair, so foundation digging at night is treated the same as framing or tearing a structure down. There is a permit path: a contractor can apply for a special permit for night work, and the Director of Public Works or Building Inspection decides, weighing neighborhood character, traffic impact, and the public interest, and can attach conditions to any permit granted. Emergency work is exempt from the restriction.