Napa County, CA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Napa 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
- Night period
- 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. in Tables 8.16.060 and 8.16.070
- Inside a dwelling
- 55 dBA at night, 60 dBA by day
- Single and double residential, night
- 45 dBA rural, 45 suburban, 50 urban
- Multiple residential and country, night
- 45 dBA rural, 50 suburban, 55 urban
- Music, speech or repetitive noise
- Limits drop five dB, but not lower than forty-five
- Power tools
- Barred 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. across a property line
- Enforced by
- Planning, building and environmental services director and the county sheriff
Summary
Napa County Code Chapter 8.16 sets the night period for the unincorporated area at 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Noise from outside a dwelling is capped at 55 dBA inside a neighbor's home at night and 60 dBA by day. At the property line, single and double residential land is held to 45 dBA in rural and suburban zones and 50 dBA in urban zones at night. The planning, building and environmental services director and the sheriff enforce it.
The interior noise standards for residential dwelling units generated by noise sources outside the dwelling unit, as presented in Table 8.16.060 shall apply, unless otherwise specifically indicated, within all such dwelling units. Table 8.16.060 INTERIOR NOISE LIMITS Noise Zone Type of Land Use Time Interval Allowable Interior Noise Level (dBA) All Residential 10 p.m. — 7 a.m. 55 7 a.m. — 10 p.m. 60 ... Correction for Character of Sound. In the event the alleged offensive noise, as judged by the noise control officer, contains a steady, audible tone such as a whine, screech or hum, or is a repetitive noise such as hammering or riveting, or contains music or speech, the standard limits set forth in Tables 8.16.060 and 8.16.070 shall be reduced by five dB, but not lower than forty-five. Table 8.16.070 EXTERIOR NOISE LIMITS (Levels not to be exceeded more than 30 minutes in any hour) Noise Level (dBA) Noise Zone Classification 1 Receiving Land Use Category Time Period Rural Suburban Urban Residential 10 p.m. — 7 a.m. 45 45 50 Single and double 7 a.m. — 10 p.m. 50 55 60 Residential multiple and country 10 p.m. — 7 a.m. 45 50 55 7 a.m. — 10 p.m. 50 55 60
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 48 | General Policies and Bylaws: ? | Fees and Archived Fees: ?).
Full Breakdown
Section 8.16.060 covers the inside of a home. For noise from sources outside the dwelling unit the standard is 55 dBA from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and 60 dBA from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Measured inside a neighboring dwelling unit, the noise cannot exceed that standard for a cumulative period of more than five minutes in any hour, the standard plus five dB for more than one minute, or the standard plus ten dB or the maximum measured ambient level for any period of time.
Section 8.16.070 covers the property line. Sound measured on any other property, incorporated or unincorporated, is tested against Table 8.16.070, whose levels cannot be exceeded for more than 30 minutes in any hour. For single and double residential use the night limit is 45 dBA in a rural zone, 45 in a suburban zone and 50 in an urban zone; the day limit is 50, 55 and 60. For residential multiple and country use the night limit is 45, 50 and 55; the day limit is 50, 55 and 60. Commercial land is held to 60 dBA at night and 65 by day; industrial land, including wineries, to 75 at any time. Overshoots are cut off sooner: plus five dB for more than fifteen minutes in an hour, plus ten dB for more than five minutes, plus fifteen dB for more than one minute, and plus twenty dB or the maximum measured ambient level for any period of time.
Two rules adjust them. A measurement on the boundary between two zones uses the quieter zone's limit. When the noise control officer judges the noise contains a steady tone such as a whine, screech or hum, repetitive hammering or riveting, or music or speech, both tables drop by five dB, but not lower than forty-five.
Under Section 8.16.080, mechanically powered saws, sanders, drills, grinders and lawn or garden tools are barred from ten p.m. to seven a.m. when they create a noise disturbance across a residential or commercial real property line. Construction and demolition tools are barred from seven p.m. to seven a.m. on the same terms, except for emergency work of public service utilities or work under a variance. Loading and unloading of boxes, crates, containers, building materials and garbage cans is restricted from ten p.m. to six a.m. when it causes a noise disturbance across a residential real property line.
Violations & Fines
A violation of Section 8.16.040, 8.16.060, 8.16.070 or 8.16.080 is a public nuisance that can be abated civilly or enforced criminally under Chapter 1.20 of the county code. Planning, building and environmental services employees named in Section 1.24.020 hold Penal Code Section 836.5 authority to issue citations, and the sheriff also enforces. No criminal citation issues for a violation already abated to the noise control officer's satisfaction or within an abatement order's compliance period.
Frequently Asked Questions
How loud can music be at night in unincorporated Napa County?
How does the county measure a noise complaint?
Which sounds are exempt from the noise chapter?
Can a variance cover a late-night event or machine?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Napa County
California rules heatmap·Compare Napa County to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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