Pleasanton, CA Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Pleasanton is a decibel-based noise city. Chapter 9.04 of the Municipal Code measures noise at the boundary of the property generating it and prohibits exceeding fixed dBA thresholds that vary by property type. No person may produce, by any machine, animal or device, a noise level exceeding 60 dBA at any point outside residential property, 70 dBA at any point outside the property plane of commercial property, or 75 dBA at any point outside the property plane of industrial property. All decibel references use the A-weighted scale (dBA), measured with a standard sound-level meter. Sitting on top of these limits is a time-of-day exemption: any noise that does not exceed 70 dBA at a distance of 25 feet under its most noisy condition of use is exempt from the residential, commercial and general limits between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily, except Sundays and holidays, when that exemption applies only from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Construction has its own ceilings of 83 dBA at 25 feet per equipment item or 86 dBA at the property plane. Because the limits depend on the zoning of the property where the noise originates and on the time of day, enforcement relies on an actual sound-level reading at the receiving property line rather than a subjective judgment alone.