Santa Cruz, CA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Santa Cruz, CA, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Code Section
- SCMC 9.36.010(a)
- Quiet Hours
- 10:00 p.m. - 8:00 a.m.
- Distance Trigger
- Within 100 ft of a sleeping area, or disturbs anyone in hearing distance
Summary
Santa Cruz prohibits any offensive noise between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. that is made within 100 feet of a building used for sleeping or that disturbs anyone within hearing distance.
9.36.010 CURFEW - OFFENSIVE NOISE. (a) No person shall between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. make, cause, suffer or permit to be made any offensive noise (1) which is made within one hundred 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. (b) "Offensive noise" means 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 in the vicinity of such noise, and includes, but is not limited to, noise made by barking or howling dogs, by an individual alone or by a group of people engaged in any business meeting, gathering, game, dance, or amusement, or by any appliance, contrivance, device, structure, construction, ride, machine, implement, or instrument.
Full Breakdown
Santa Cruz Municipal Code (SCMC) 9.36.010(a) establishes the citywide nighttime noise curfew. Between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., no person may make, cause, suffer or permit any 'offensive noise' that is either (1) made within one hundred feet of any building or place regularly used for sleeping, or (2) that disturbs or would tend to disturb any person within hearing distance. 'Offensive noise' is defined broadly in 9.36.010(b) as any noise that is loud, boisterous, irritating, penetrating, or unusual, or unreasonably distracting, such that it is likely to disturb people nearby. Outside curfew hours, daytime noise is still regulated under SCMC 9.36.020 (unreasonably disturbing noises). Under 9.36.040, an officer does not need a scientific decibel reading to issue a citation.
Violations & Fines
First offense is an infraction; under SCMC 9.36.030, a repeat violation of the same section within 48 hours of being cited is a misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the official quiet hours in Santa Cruz?
Does an officer need a noise meter to cite me?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Cruz
How Santa Cruz compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Cruz to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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