Thousand Oaks, CA Noise Ordinances: Leaf Blower Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Restricted hours
- 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Named equipment
- Lawn mowers, backpack blowers, edgers, riding tractors
- Catch-all
- Any machinery/hand tool creating loud, raucous, or impulsive sound
- Zones covered
- Residential zones, and commercial zones audible from residential property
Summary
Lawn mowers, backpack leaf blowers, edgers, riding tractors, and other loud yard equipment can't be run in Thousand Oaks residential zones between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. The same nighttime ban also covers commercial-zone equipment noise if it can be heard on residential property.
Between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. of the following day, no person shall operate any lawn mower, backpack blower, lawn edger, riding tractor, or any other machinery, equipment, or other mechanical or electrical device, or any hand tool which creates a loud, raucous or impulsive sound, within any residential zone or within any commercial zone which can be heard from any inhabited real property in a residential zone.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-78: 2026 S-78 Supplement contains: Current city legislation passed through March 31, 2026).
Full Breakdown
TOMC §5-21.02 specifically names lawn mowers, backpack blowers, lawn edgers, and riding tractors, plus catches 'any other machinery, equipment, or other mechanical or electrical device, or any hand tool which creates a loud, raucous or impulsive sound.' The prohibition runs from 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. and applies both within residential zones and within commercial zones where the noise carries to inhabited residential property, so a gardener working a commercial lot next to homes is still covered.
Violations & Fines
Enforced as a Chapter 21 noise violation; because the rule is equipment-and-hours based rather than decibel based, a citation doesn't require a specific complaint from an affected neighbor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a landscaping crew use leaf blowers early in the morning in Thousand Oaks?
Does the equipment noise rule only apply to leaf blowers?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Thousand Oaks
How Thousand Oaks compares: Cities with the Strictest Leaf Blower Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Thousand Oaks to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Leaf Blower Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Ventura County handle leaf blower rules.