Quiet hours in Lompoc, CA β also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time β define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Unincorporated Santa Barbara County regulates nighttime noise under County Code Chapter 40 - Nighttime Noise Restrictions. Quiet hours run from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and from midnight to 7:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. During those hours, no person may make or allow any 'loud and unreasonable' sound that is clearly discernible at a distance of 100 feet from the property line, or that exceeds 60 dB at the property line. Within incorporated cities (Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Lompoc, Goleta, Carpinteria, Buellton, Solvang, Guadalupe) the relevant city noise ordinance applies instead.
Santa Barbara County Code Chapter 40 (Nighttime Noise Restrictions) applies in the unincorporated area, including Montecito, Summerland, Mission Canyon, Hope Ranch, Isla Vista, Orcutt, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Mission Hills, Vandenberg Village, Cuyama, New Cuyama, and the Santa Ynez Valley unincorporated communities. Section 40-2 ('Noises prohibited') makes it unlawful for any person to make, continue, or cause to be made or continued, any loud and unreasonable noise between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Sunday night through Friday morning, or between 12:00 midnight and 7:00 a.m. on Friday night through Sunday morning. A 'loud and unreasonable' sound is defined to include any sound that is clearly discernible at a distance of 100 feet from the property line of the property on which the sound is broadcast, or that exceeds 60 decibels measured at the edge of that property line. Typical examples enumerated in Chapter 40 include amplified music, radios, television sets, musical instruments, drums, horns, shouting, and similar devices or human-generated sound. Construction noise in residential zones, outdoor amplified events, and barking dogs are addressed by separate sections of the County Code (animal control is in Chapter 7 Article III; construction hours are regulated under the Land Use and Development Code Section 35.42). Chapter 40 is enforced by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office and may also be enforced by Code Compliance staff in Planning and Development. Inside incorporated city limits, Chapter 40 does NOT apply: City of Santa Barbara Municipal Code Chapter 9.16 sets a 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. (weekdays) / 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. (weekends) standard at the property line for residential property; the cities of Santa Maria, Lompoc, Goleta, Carpinteria, Buellton, Solvang, and Guadalupe each maintain their own noise ordinances and quiet hours.
A violation of Chapter 40 is an infraction punishable by fine under County Code Chapter 1 (General Penalty) and is enforceable by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff may issue a citation, and persistent violators may be charged with a misdemeanor. Repeat or commercial offenders (such as event venues, outdoor amplified parties, and unpermitted short-term rentals generating ongoing complaints) may also face administrative civil penalties through Planning and Development Code Compliance, and a short-term rental owner who repeatedly violates the noise ordinance may face revocation of their planning permit and Transient Occupancy Tax registration.
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