Santee, CA Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)

Section 5.04.080, in the noise chapter, makes it unlawful to create disturbing or raucous noises by racing or accelerating a motor vehicle's engine whether moving or stationary, by willfully backfiring, or by screeching tires; unlike the chapter's general nighttime-noise rules in Section 5.04.160, this section carries no time-of-day limitation, so it applies at any hour. It sits alongside other Chapter 5.04 vehicle-adjacent rules: Section 5.04.050 restricts refuse and collection vehicle operation near residential zones to 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Section 5.04.140 caps a food-vending vehicle's sound signal to once every 10 minutes per block and no more than 10 seconds per emission.

Separately, in the traffic title, Section 10.22.130 makes it unlawful to use engine brakes on any street or portion of a street where the City Traffic Engineer has posted a sign prohibiting the practice; the Traffic Engineer decides which streets to sign, typically grades used by trucks passing near residential areas. Enforcement of the noise chapter rests with the Noise Control Officer under Section 5.04.180, who may be assisted by the Sheriff, while the general citywide violation framework in Section 1.04.050 allows either a misdemeanor or infraction charge depending on the circumstances and the City Attorney's discretion.