La Mesa, CA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)

Section 10.80.080(a) makes it unlawful, within any residential zone of the city, to use or operate a radio receiving set, musical instrument, phonograph, television set or other sound-producing device between 10:00 p.m. of one day and 7:00 a.m. of the following day in a manner that disturbs the peace, quiet and comfort of neighboring residents or any reasonable person of normal sensitiveness in the area. Section 10.80.080(b) then supplies an evidentiary shortcut: any noise exceeding the Section 10.80.040 ambient base level is prima facie evidence of a violation if it is heard inside a living unit in a multi-family dwelling, inside a nonresidential building where people are regularly present, or 50 feet or more from a single-family dwelling.

That cross-reference ties the nighttime quiet-hours rule directly to the zone-specific decibel table, which caps R1 and R2 residential noise at 50 decibels overnight. The section covers devices rather than voices or parties directly, but it sits alongside the chapter's broader general noise regulations in Section 10.80.180, which separately bars any wilful loud, unnecessary or unusual noise that disturbs a neighborhood's peace at any hour, judged by factors including the time of night and proximity to residential sleeping areas. La Mesa Police Department officers enforce Section 10.80.080 as a citywide infraction under the general penalty clause, Section 1.01.080, and the city can additionally seek a civil injunction against a repeat violation as a public nuisance under Section 10.80.060.