Santa Clara, CA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Santa Clara, CA, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Governing law
- SCCC § 9.05.010(c)
- Curfew hours
- 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM
- Distance trigger
- Within 250 feet of a sleeping-use building
- Applies to
- Public and private property alike
- 1st offense fine
- Up to $150
- 4th offense fine (1 yr)
- Up to $900
Summary
Santa Clara bans loud and unreasonable noise between 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM under City Code § 9.05.010(c), whether it disturbs anyone within earshot or happens within 250 feet of a building used for sleeping, and the rule reaches private property, not just public streets. Fines escalate from $150 to $900 for repeat violations within a year.
To, between the hours of 10:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M., make, cause, suffer or permit to be made any loud and unreasonable noise (1) which is made within two hundred fifty (250) feet of any building or place regularly used for sleeping purposes, or (2) which disturbs, or would tend to disturb, any person within hearing distance of such noise. This subsection (c) applies to activities on private property as well as on public property.
Full Breakdown
is covered the same as noise on a public street. 005(b) as "any noise which is loud, boisterous, irritating, penetrating or unusual, or that is unreasonably distracting in any other manner, such that it is likely to disturb people of ordinary sensitivity," including noise from people or from instruments and devices under their control. 070, may pursue a criminal, civil or administrative case, and subsection (d)(1) sets an escalating infraction fine schedule specific to this chapter that overrides the City's default fines: $150 for a first violation, $300 for a second within a year, $600 for a third, and $900 for a fourth.
10 may also be used, and courts or the City can add community service under subsection (e). 10, which regulate specific noise sources rather than the general nighttime curfew.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of the 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. noise curfew in § 9.05.010(c) is an infraction fine up to $150, rising to $300 for a second violation within a year, $600 for a third, and $900 for a fourth, under the escalating schedule in § 9.05.010(d)(1). Administrative citations and community service are also available enforcement tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours does Santa Clara's noise curfew cover?
Does the nighttime noise rule apply to my backyard party?
What's the fine for a repeat noise violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Clara
How Santa Clara compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Clara 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.