Pleasanton, CA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)

Unlike cities that simply ban noise after 10 p.m., Pleasanton regulates noise primarily by decibel limits measured at the property line under Chapter 9.04 of the Municipal Code. The chapter caps noise at 60 dBA outside residential property, 70 dBA outside commercial property, and 75 dBA outside industrial property. Layered on top is a time-of-day exemption: any noise that does not exceed 70 dBA at 25 feet is exempt from the residential, commercial and general limits between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. every day, except Sundays and holidays, when that exemption applies only from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. In effect, the early-morning, late-evening and overnight hours, plus most of Sunday and holidays, are the city's de facto quiet hours, because the daytime allowance for louder activity no longer applies. Outside those exemption windows, the standard dBA limits govern, and persistent or excessive noise can be cited as a violation of the noise regulations. Because limits are tied to measurable decibel levels and property type, enforcement turns on a sound-level reading rather than a clock alone, though time of day determines whether the more lenient exemption is available.