Sacramento County, CA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Sacramento County, CA, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Apartments, condos, townhouses, duplexes
- Hours covered
- 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. only
- 5+ minute cap
- 45 dBA in neighboring unit
- 1+ minute cap
- 50 dBA in neighboring unit
- Absolute ceiling
- 55 dBA, any duration
- Enforcement
- Sheriff or County Health Officer
- Violation class
- Infraction; each day separate offense
Summary
Sacramento County's 10 p.m.-to-7 a.m. quiet hours for shared-wall housing are numeric, not vague: Code § 6.68.080 caps noise heard inside a neighboring apartment, condo, townhouse, duplex or other multi-unit dwelling at 45 dBA for more than five minutes an hour, 50 dBA for more than a minute, and 55 dBA at any moment. An unusually loud ambient environment can raise those caps.
a. In any apartment, condominium, townhouse, duplex or multiple dwelling unit it is unlawful for any person to create any noise from inside his unit that causes the noise level when measured in a neighboring unit during the periods ten p.m. to seven a.m. to exceed: 1. Forty-five dBA for a cumulative period of more than five minutes in any hour; 2. Fifty dBA for a cumulative period of more than one minute in any hour; 3. Fifty-five dBA for any period of time. b. If the ambient noise level exceeds that permitted by any of the noise level categories specified in subdivision (a) of this section, the allowable noise limit shall be increased in five-dBA increments in each category to encompass the ambient noise level.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4941150; v18 updated 2026-05-19).
Full Breakdown
070, and it applies specifically to attached and multi-unit residences: apartments, condominiums, townhouses, duplexes and other multiple dwelling units where sound crosses a shared wall, floor or ceiling into a neighbor's unit. ; the chapter has no separate interior cap for daytime hours. The standard is tiered by how long the intrusive noise lasts inside the neighboring unit: 45 dBA if it runs more than five cumulative minutes in an hour, 50 dBA if it runs more than one cumulative minute, and a hard 55 dBA ceiling that can never be exceeded for any length of time, however brief.
060 protocol used for exterior readings, adapted for interior conditions: windows in normal seasonal configuration and the meter positioned at least four feet from the nearest wall, ceiling or floor of the affected occupied area. Subsection (b) mirrors the exterior chapter's ambient-noise accommodation: if the building's own background noise level already exceeds one of the three tiers, the allowable limit for that tier rises in 5 dBA steps to match it, so a resident isn't cited for the pre-existing hum of a building's HVAC or nearby traffic. 220 variance appeal path govern interior violations.
Violations & Fines
Enforcement mirrors the rest of the noise chapter: the Sheriff or County Health Officer investigates a tenant or neighbor complaint under § 6.68.230, documents the dBA reading taken inside the affected unit, and can order corrective action. Continued noncompliance becomes an infraction, with every additional day of violation charged as a separate offense, and the county can additionally pursue nuisance abatement in court under § 6.68.240.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Sacramento County's quiet-hours rule apply to a single-family house?
How loud can my neighbor's noise get inside my unit at night before it's a violation?
What if my building is already noisy from traffic or HVAC equipment?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sacramento County
How Sacramento County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·California rules heatmap·Compare Sacramento County to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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