Redding, CA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Redding, CA, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Residential nighttime limit
- 45 dB, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Residential daytime limit
- 55 dB, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Power tool curfew
- 10 p.m.-7 a.m. weekdays, 9 p.m.-8 a.m. weekends
- Construction curfew (summer)
- 7 p.m.-6 a.m. weekdays, May 15-Sep 15
- Legal basis
- Noise is a public nuisance, § 18.40.100(A)(3)
Summary
Redding cuts its allowable noise level at night: Schedule 18.40.100-A drops the residential exterior limit from 55 decibels in the daytime to 45 decibels between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. On top of that hourly limit, Section 18.40.100(F) bans specific noisy activities, including power tools, loading and unloading, and construction work, during set nighttime and weekend hours.
F.Prohibited Acts. The following acts are hereby prohibited:...3.Domestic Power Tools and Equipment. Operation or permitting the operation, of any mechanically powered saw, lawn or garden tool or similar outdoor tool between ten p.m. and seven a.m. on weekdays (or nine p.m. and eight a.m. on weekends and legal holidays) so as to create a noise disturbance across a residential or commercial real property line.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 48).
Full Breakdown
The noise chapter measures sound as an hourly energy-equivalent level, or Leq, and Schedule 18.40.100-A sets that ceiling at 45 dB for residential property overnight (10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.) versus 55 dB during the day, with office/commercial land uses allowed 55 dB at night and 65 dB by day. Beyond the decibel table, Section 18.40.100(F) lists prohibited acts by name: loading, unloading, or handling boxes and building materials between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. across a residential property line; construction, drilling, repair, or demolition work within five hundred feet of a residential district during seasonal curfews (May 15 through September 15, weekdays 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. and weekends/holidays 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.; the rest of the year, weekdays 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. and weekends/holidays 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.); and, most relevant to a typical resident, mechanically powered saws, lawn tools, or garden equipment between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays or 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. on weekends and legal holidays.
Section 18.40.100(B) separately makes any loud, unnecessary or unusual noise that disturbs the peace of a neighborhood unlawful regardless of decibel reading. Exemptions cover emergency work, police/fire sirens, permitted public events, city solid-waste collection, and church bells limited to thirty minutes per hour between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.
Violations & Fines
Section 18.40.100(A)(3) declares that noise exceeding the chapter's limits is a public nuisance and punishable as such. A property owner or business that runs a lawnmower, leaf blower, or power saw after 10:00 p.m. on a weekday, or that allows construction noise to cross a residential property line outside the seasonal curfew windows, is subject to code enforcement citation regardless of whether a decibel meter is used, because the prohibited-acts list in subsection F applies independently of the Schedule 18.40.100-A dB table.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time can I mow my lawn in Redding?
Is there a citywide decibel limit for noise in Redding?
Can construction crews work at night in Redding?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redding
California rules heatmap·Compare Redding to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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