Santa Clara County, CA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Santa Clara County, CA, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Curfew hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Applies to
- Radios, TVs, stereos, musical instruments
- Standard
- Disturbance across a property line
- Max penalty
- $500 fine or 5 days jail
Summary
Unincorporated Santa Clara County bars residential noise disturbances from radios, stereos, and similar devices between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. across a neighboring property line.
Operating, playing or permitting the operation or playing of any radio, television set, phonograph, drum, musical instrument, or similar device which produces or reproduces sound...Between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following day in a manner as to create a noise disturbance across a residential or commercial real property line or at any time to violate the provisions of Section B11-152 or B11-153 except for activities for which a variance has been issued.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 65).
Full Breakdown
Santa Clara County Ordinance Code § B11-154(b)(1)a sets a countywide nighttime noise curfew for unincorporated areas: radios, televisions, phonographs, drums, and similar sound-producing devices may not be operated between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. in a manner creating a noise disturbance across a residential or commercial property line. The same curfew hour applies to loudspeakers, domestic power tools, and loading or unloading activity under neighboring subsections of § B11-154. Noise exceeding the numeric limits in §§ B11-152 and B11-153 is a prima facie violation regardless of curfew hours, and violations may be abated by injunction under § B11-158.
Violations & Fines
Prima facie evidence of violation under § B11-158; remedies include injunctions and civil suits, with willful violation of an injunction a misdemeanor punishable by up to 5 days jail or $500 fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the county noise curfew cover San Jose or Sunnyvale?
What time can I run power tools in unincorporated Santa Clara County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Clara County
How Santa Clara County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Clara County to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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