Monterey, CA Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Section 38-111(A) sets a performance standard that applies to every use classification in every zoning district: no use or activity may create ambient noise, measured at the receiving property, above the decibel ceiling assigned to that zone. Residential districts are capped at 60 decibels, the same ceiling applied to Open Space and Public/Semi-Public districts; Commercial districts get a 65-decibel ceiling; Industrial districts get 70; and Planned Development areas are not given a fixed number at all, instead requiring a project-specific acoustic study.

The standard is not flat around the clock. In Residential districts, the ceiling drops by 5 decibels between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., tightening nighttime noise exposure for residents trying to sleep. The code also builds in headroom for brief, unavoidable noise: a use may exceed the standard by 5 decibels for a cumulative total of up to five minutes in any hour, and by 10 decibels for up to one minute in any hour, which covers things like a truck backup beeper or a compressor cycling on rather than continuous operation.

Noise has to be measured with a sound level meter meeting American National Standards Institute Type 1 or Type 2 standards, calibrated at the time of the reading. The Community Development Director can require an acoustic study for any project expected to generate noise above the acceptable threshold and can require noise-attenuation measures to be built into a project. Emergency generators are exempt if they stay out of the front-yard setback and, within 10 feet of a property line, use noise-reduction enclosures. Decisions of the Community Development Director on these performance standards can be appealed to the Planning Commission under Article 27.