San Francisco Police Code Section 2909 sets specific dBA limits at the property line: 55 daytime and 50 nighttime in residential zones, scaling up to 70/65 in heavy industrial. Any source exceeding ambient by more than 5 dBA is a violation.
Unlike many cities that rely only on plain-audibility, San Francisco has fixed quantitative decibel standards. Under Police Code Section 2909, ambient noise limits at the property line are: residential 55 dBA day / 50 dBA night; commercial 60/55; light industrial/PDR 65/60; heavy industrial 70/65. Daytime is 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Any fixed noise source that causes noise at a neighboring parcel to exceed the applicable limit, or to exceed existing ambient by 5 dBA, is a violation. Construction equipment has a separate standard under Section 2907: no single piece of equipment may exceed 80 dBA at 100 feet, and impact tools (pile drivers, jackhammers) are subject to additional permit-based restrictions. The Department of Public Health conducts measurements using an A-weighted sound level meter with slow response, averaged over a sample period. Enforcement proceeds from warning letter to Notice of Violation to administrative fines of $100-$1,000 per incident, plus abatement orders requiring physical mitigation.
Specific penalty amounts for this ordinance are not published in a publicly accessible fine schedule. Contact San Francisco code enforcement directly for current fines, enforcement procedures, and hearing options.
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