Redwood City, CA Public Conduct: Loud Party Ordinance (2026)

Section 24.20, in Chapter 24's Division 2 on party, dance, meeting and assemblage noise, declares two things excessive and unreasonable: noise from a gathering of three or more people that exceeds the local ambient by more than 6 dB, measured either outside the property line within a residential district, or 3 feet from a wall, floor or ceiling inside a dwelling on the same property with windows and doors closed, in both cases between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Section 24.22 supplies the enforcement teeth.

When the police-designated Enforcement Officer determines an excessive party noise is occurring, they serve written notice on the property owner and on the people allowing the gathering, warning by name that a citation and cost liability can follow under Section 24.21 if the noise continues. If the noise continues within the 12 hours after that notice, between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., the responsible persons, or the parents or guardians if they are minors, become jointly and severally liable to the City for the full cost of any further police response, calculated on the Finance Director's full-cost-accounting rate; for the cost of any arrests, booking and report preparation arising from the incident; for police time spent appearing at related court proceedings; and for collection costs including attorney's fees, capped at $15,000.00.

The City Manager has discretion to reduce or compromise that debt. This cost-recovery liability is separate from, and in addition to, any citation issued for the underlying excessive noise itself under Section 24.21.