San Jose, CA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in San Jose, CA, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Fixed curfew hours
- None: rule applies 24/7
- Governing standard
- Disturbing or unreasonably loud noise
- Default penalty
- Misdemeanor: up to $1,000/6 months
- Enforcing agency
- San Jose Police Department
- Illustrative violations
- Horns, revving engines, loud radios/shouting
Summary
San Jose sets no clock-hour noise curfew. Municipal Code § 10.16.010 bans disturbing or unreasonably loud noise in any neighborhood around the clock, day or night, rather than restricting it to nighttime hours.
No person shall disturb the peace, quiet and comfort of any neighborhood by creating therein any disturbing or unreasonably loud noise.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 5 Update 3).
Full Breakdown
San Jose's noise ordinance has no curfew or fixed cutoff time for residential noise. Section 10.16.010 makes it unlawful at any hour to disturb the peace, quiet and comfort of a neighborhood with disturbing or unreasonably loud noise. Section 10.16.020 then lists illustrative examples treated as inherently disturbing under that standard, improper vehicle horns, revving a stationary engine, and loud radios, stereos or shouting audible to a reasonable person outside the source, with no day/night distinction attached to any of them.
Violations & Fines
Enforced by police as a misdemeanor under § 1.08.010, since Chapter 10.16 is not on the code's infraction list: up to a $1,000 fine, six months in jail, or both, with each day counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does San Jose have set quiet hours, like 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.?
What kind of noise counts as a violation in San Jose?
What's the penalty for violating San Jose's noise rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Jose
How San Jose compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·California rules heatmap·Compare San Jose to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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Quiet Hours in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle quiet hours.