Santa Clara County, CA Short-Term Rentals: Noise Rules (2026)

Although there is no short-term-rental-specific noise rule, guests and hosts in unincorporated Santa Clara County must follow the County's general Noise Ordinance, codified in Division B11 of the County Ordinance Code. The ordinance prohibits operating or causing any source of sound within the unincorporated territory, or allowing the creation of noise on property the person controls, that causes the noise level measured on any other property to exceed the noise standard for that land use as specified in Table B11-152. The standards are stricter at night: residential-area exterior limits are reduced during nighttime hours, generally 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., relative to daytime limits. In addition, if the noise contains a steady audible tone such as a whine, screech, or hum, or contains music or speech conveying informational content, the applicable limit in Table B11-152 is reduced by five decibels - a provision directly relevant to amplified music or parties at a rental. The County's Consumer Protection Division (within the Department of Environmental Health) investigates excessive-noise complaints from residential and commercial sources in unincorporated areas. Because noise is one of the most common neighbor complaints about short-term rentals, hosts should set explicit quiet-hours expectations for guests aligned with the 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. nighttime standards and the five-decibel reduction for music.