Tracy, CA Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential limit
- 55 dB one-hour average
- Commercial limit
- 65 dB one-hour average
- Industrial/agricultural limit
- 75 dB one-hour average
- Noncompliance trigger
- 3+ days in any 30-day period
- Boundary properties
- limit is arithmetic mean of zones
- Restricted noise hours
- 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Summary
Tracy caps environmental noise by zone under a one-hour average sound-level standard: 55 decibels in residential districts, 65 in commercial districts, and 75 in industrial, agricultural and Aggregate Mineral Overlay zones. Repeated violations trigger a Community Development Director noncompliance notice and a required compliance, extension, objection or variation response within thirty days.
4.12.750 - General sound level limits: Except for exempted activities and sounds as provided in this chapter or exempted properties as referenced in Section 4.12.800, it shall be unlawful for any person to cause or allow the creation of any noise to the extent that the one-hour average sound level, at any point on or beyond the boundaries of the property in the applicable Base District Zone on which the sound is produced exceeds the applicable limits set forth below: Base District Zone / Sound Level Limits (Decibels): 1. Residential Districts (RE, LDR, MDR/MDC, HDR, RMH): 55. 2. Commercial Districts (MO, POM, CS, NS, CBD, GHC, H-S): 65. 3. Industrial Districts (M-1, M-2): 75. 4. A (Agricultural): 75. 5. AMO Aggregate Mineral Overlay Zone: 75.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 69).
Full Breakdown
12, Noise Control, sets Tracy's numeric noise ceiling by zone. 750 bans any noise whose one-hour average sound level, measured at or beyond the property line in the applicable base district zone, exceeds 55 decibels in residential zones (Residential Estate, Low Density, Medium Density, High Density and Mobile Home), 65 decibels in commercial zones (Medical Office, Professional Office and Medical, Community Shopping, Neighborhood Shopping, Central Business District, General Highway and Highway Service), and 75 decibels in industrial zones (Light and Heavy Industrial), agricultural zones, and the Aggregate Mineral Overlay Zone.
770 sets the limit at the arithmetic mean of the two zones where a property straddles a district boundary. 780 and then has thirty days to bring the noise into compliance, request a thirty-day extension, object to the findings, or apply to the Planning Commission for a variation, which requires a noticed hearing with newspaper publication and mailed notice to property owners within 300 feet at least ten days out. , and pile drivers or pneumatic hammers run overnight. m.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the § 4.12.750 decibel limit for the applicable zone is enforceable under §§ 4.12.860-4.12.870 as an infraction, misdemeanor, or public nuisance subject to summary judicial abatement by restraining order, injunction, or assessment. Anyone who exceeds the limit on three or more days in a thirty-day period first receives a Community Development Director notice of noncompliance under § 4.12.780 and has thirty days to comply, seek an extension, contest the findings, or apply to the Planning Commission for a variation before further enforcement follows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum noise level allowed in a Tracy residential zone?
How much noise can an industrial property in Tracy generate?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tracy
California rules heatmap·Compare Tracy to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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