Marin County, CA Short-Term Rentals: Noise Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Owner duty
- Ensure guests follow § 6.70.030 noise standards
- Quiet hours trigger
- 11 p.m.-7 a.m. for radios, yelling, amplifiers
- Prima facie violation
- Audible 50 yards from source, quiet hours
- General penalty
- Misdemeanor under Marin County Code § 1.04.160
- License risk
- Verified noise complaints count toward revocation
Summary
Marin County holds short-term rental owners responsible for keeping their guests within the county's general noise law. Section 5.41.060(5) ties every STR directly to Section 6.70.030's noise standards, and any loud or unreasonable noise that disturbs neighbors, day or night, is a Code violation the owner must prevent.
5.Noise. The short term rental property owner is responsible for ensuring that any and all guests of a short term rental comply with the noise standards of Section 6.70.030 (Loud and Unnecessary Noises). ... 6.70.020 - Prohibition. It is unlawful for any person to make, continue, or cause to be made or continued, any loud, unnecessary or unusual noise which either annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health or peace of others. ... The operation of any such set, instrument, phonograph, machine or device between the hours of eleven p.m. and seven a.m. in such a manner as to be plainly audible at a distance of fifty yards from the building, structure or vehicle in which it is located shall be prima facie evidence of a violation of this section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 2026 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
030. 020 for anyone to make or continue any loud, unnecessary or unusual noise that annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health or peace of others. that disturbs residents nearby is also listed as a violation. , no work Sundays or listed holidays) that likewise binds any STR undergoing permitted work. Because the STR ordinance folds these standards directly into the license, a guest's noise violation is not just a neighbor dispute; it becomes grounds for code enforcement action against the STR license itself.
040 makes violation of the construction-noise standard specifically an infraction enforceable by fines, with a misdemeanor reserved for ignoring a peace officer's order to stop.
Violations & Fines
A guest noise complaint verified by code enforcement counts as a violation of the STR property standards in Section 5.41.060 and can trigger license suspension or revocation under Section 5.41.080. More than three verified substantial violations during a license term bars renewal under Section 5.41.050(F)(v). Separately, violating the general noise prohibition is a misdemeanor under Section 1.04.160, punishable independent of any license action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is liable if short-term rental guests are too loud in Marin County?
What noise is automatically considered a violation at night in unincorporated Marin County?
Can a noisy short-term rental lose its county license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Marin County
California rules heatmap·Compare Marin County to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview
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