Quiet hours in Alameda, CA — also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time — define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
The City of Alameda's Noise Regulations (AMC Section 4-10) define nighttime as 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. and set lower exterior noise limits during those hours. Loud loading, unloading, and handling of containers across a residential property line between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. is specifically prohibited.
Alameda's noise rules live in Article II, Section 4-10 of the Municipal Code (the "Alameda Noise Regulations," Ord. No. 2177 N.S.), not Alameda County's Chapter 6.60 which governs only unincorporated areas. Section 4-10.4 sets exterior dB(A) standards by the cumulative minutes a level is exceeded in any one hour. For residential, school, hospital, church, or library properties the daytime period runs 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and nighttime runs 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.; nighttime limits are 5 dB(A) lower in each category (for example 50 dB(A) nighttime vs. 55 dB(A) daytime for the 30-minute category). Section 4-10.5 separately bars loading, unloading, opening, closing, or handling of boxes, crates, containers, building materials, or garbage cans between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. when it causes a noise disturbance across a residential property line. A "noise disturbance" is any sound that annoys or disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivity, judged in part on whether it can be heard 200 feet away during the day or 100 feet away at night.
A violation of Section 4-10 is an infraction. Each 24-hour day, or fraction of a day, that the violation continues is a separate offense (AMC 4-10.12). Noise can also be abated as a public nuisance by court restraining order or injunction. Complaints are filed with the Planning Department or Public Works Department under Section 4-10.8.
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Alameda County.
See how other cities in Alameda County handle quiet hours.
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