Los Banos, CA Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential daytime limit (30 min/hr)
- 55 dBA
- Residential nighttime limit (30 min/hr)
- 45 dBA
- Residential any-noise limit
- 75 dBA day / 65 dBA night
- Commercial/industrial any-time limit
- 70-90 dBA by category
- Pure tone/impulsive noise adjustment
- 5 dB stricter
- Measurement distance (exterior)
- Within 50 feet of affected use
Summary
Los Banos caps exterior noise with a sliding table tied to how long the sound lasts each hour. A residential receiver cannot be exposed to more than 55 dBA daytime or 45 dBA at night for 30 minutes in any hour, dropping to 75 dBA daytime and 65 dBA at night for any noise at all.
It is unlawful for any person at any location within the City to create any noise, or to allow the creation of any noise, on property owned, leased, occupied, or otherwise controlled by such person which noise causes the exterior noise level, when measured on any other property, to exceed the noise level standards set forth in the following table: Receiving Land Use Category Cumulative Number of Minutes in Any One-Hour Time Period Residential/Noise Sensitive* Commercial/ Industrial Daytime (7 a.m. to 10 p.m.) Nighttime (10 p.m. to 7 a.m.) Any Time 1 30 55 dBA 45 dBA 70 dBA ... 5 0 75 dBA 65 dBA 90 dBA
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4356507; v3 updated 2025-03-05).
Full Breakdown
2704 makes it unlawful to create noise on property a person owns, leases, occupies, or controls that pushes the exterior noise level, measured on any other property, past the limits set in a five-category table keyed to how many cumulative minutes per hour the sound occurs. ); a noise occurring any amount of time at all, Category 5, zero minutes, still cannot exceed 75 dBA daytime or 65 dBA nighttime. Commercial and industrial receiving properties get a single any-time standard that climbs from 70 dBA at Category 1 to 90 dBA at Category 5.
2703 sets the measurement method: an A-weighted sound level meter at slow response, calibrated against National Bureau of Standards levels immediately before use, with exterior readings taken within 50 feet of the affected use and about 5 feet off the ground. 2704(b) resets the standard to match ambient; and every standard in the table drops by 5 dB for pure tone noise, noise that is mostly speech or music, or recurring impulsive noise under subsection (c). 2705 caps noise measured inside another dwelling unit at 45 dBA daytime and 35 dBA nighttime for the first 5 cumulative minutes per hour, tightening to 55/45 dBA at zero minutes.
Violations & Fines
Violating the noise standards is a misdemeanor punishable under Title 1, Chapter 2 of the Municipal Code, and is separately declared an infraction and a public nuisance under Section 9-3.2712. The City can also seek a Superior Court injunction, and an Enforcement Officer designated by the City Manager, with a right of entry for inspections, enforces the noise article.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the loudest my neighbor's noise can be in Los Banos during the day?
How is noise measured for a Los Banos violation?
Does music or a repeated pounding noise get treated more strictly?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Los Banos
California rules heatmap·Compare Los Banos to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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