Santa Cruz County, CA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)

Santa Cruz County Code (SCCC) Chapter 8.30 governs noise in the unincorporated county and is enforced by the Sheriff's Office; the cities of Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Capitola, and Scotts Valley have their own separate noise chapters. SCCC 8.30.010 prohibits any person from making, causing, or permitting 'offensive noise,' defined as noise that is loud, boisterous, irritating, penetrating, or unusual, or otherwise unreasonably distracting such that it is likely to disturb people of ordinary sensitivities. The ordinance establishes two time periods. During day and evening hours (8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.) a noise is automatically offensive if clearly discernible 150 feet beyond the source property line, or above 75 decibels at the property line. During night hours (10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.) the thresholds tighten: a noise is automatically offensive if made within 100 feet of a building used for sleeping, clearly discernible 100 feet from the property line, or above 60 decibels at the property line. Even quieter sounds may still be found offensive based on factors such as pitch, duration, time of day, necessity, background noise, and proximity to sleeping areas. Per the County General Plan, the Sheriff receives thousands of noise complaints annually under this chapter.