San Francisco, CA Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential limit
- ambient + 5 dBA
- Measurement point
- outside property plane
- Enforcer
- Dept. of Public Health
Summary
On San Francisco residential property, machines, devices, or music cannot exceed the ambient sound level by more than five decibels at any point outside the property line.
No person shall produce or allow to be produced by any machine, or device, music or entertainment or any combination of same, on residential property over which the person has ownership or control, a noise level more than five dBA above the ambient at any point outside of the property plane.
(2) No person shall produce or allow to be produced by any machine, or device, music or entertainment or any combination of same, on multi-unit residential property over which the person has ownership or control, a noise level more than five dBA above the local ambient three feet from any wall, floor, or ceiling inside any dwelling unit on the same property, when the windows and doors of the dwelling unit are closed, except within the dwelling unit in which the noise source or sources may be located.
(b) Commercial And Industrial Property Noise Limits. No person shall produce or allow to be produced by any machine, or device, music or entertainment or any combination of same, on commercial or industrial property over which the person has ownership or control, a noise level more than eight dBA above the local ambient at any point outside of the property plane. With respect to noise generated from a licensed Place of Entertainment, licensed Limited Live Performance Locale, or other location subject to regulation by the Entertainment Commission or its Director, in addition to the above dBA criteria a secondary low frequency dBC criteria shall apply to the definition above. No
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-96: Codes: last updated to include changes made by legislation through Ordinance 133-26, File No. 260686, approved July 23, 2026, effective August 23, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Police Code Sec. 2909(a) sets the baseline residential noise standard: no machine, device, music, or entertainment on residential property may produce a noise level more than five dBA above ambient measured at any point outside the property plane. For multi-unit residential property, the same five-dBA-above-ambient cap applies measured three feet from a wall, floor, or ceiling inside another unit with windows and doors closed. Separate numeric limits apply to commercial, industrial, and public property under other subsections.
Violations & Fines
Producing noise more than 5 dBA above ambient outside the property plane violates Sec. 2909(a) and is enforced by the Department of Public Health's noise program.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is San Francisco's residential noise decibel limit?
Does the limit differ for apartment buildings?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Francisco
California rules heatmap·Compare San Francisco to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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