Hayward, CA Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

3 of Hayward's noise regulations bars operating a radio, tape player, record player, compact disc player, or similar device in or on a vehicle on public property in a manner audible to a person of normal hearing more than 25 feet from the vehicle. The same 25-foot limit applies on private property, measured either from the vehicle or from the property line, whichever distance is greater. Noise from an in-vehicle audio device on a public highway is instead regulated under the California Vehicle Code, not this local section.

Subsection (b) separately bars using a vehicle horn or other device meant to create a loud warning noise except when a situation genuinely endangers life, health, or property, so horn use for anything but an actual emergency or road-safety warning is a violation. 05, enforced by the Enforcement Officer, defined as the City Manager or a designee, who may respond to a complaint with a written warning or a citation once a violation is observed. 1, which apply to noise from residential, commercial, and public property generally; instead it has its own 25-foot audibility standard and horn-use rule tailored to moving and parked vehicles.