Pacifica, CA Short-Term Rentals: Noise Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Quiet hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. daily
- Pool/spa curfew
- No use 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Amplified sound
- Barred outside audible range at all times
- Noise monitor
- Required, continuous, exterior-mounted
- Records retained
- 30 days of noise readings
Summary
In the City of Pacifica, short-term renters may not make excessive or loud noise during quiet hours of 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. daily under Pacifica Municipal Code Sec. 9-4.4905(o), and every operator must install a continuously operating exterior noise monitor to help enforce compliance under Sec. 9-4.4905(r).
(o)Short-term renters shall not make any excessive or loud noise during quiet hours from 10:00 p.m.— ... 00 a.m. daily; ... (q)In addition to the noise standards identified in Chapter 10 of Title 5 and Chapter 28 of Title 5 of this Code, no radio receiver, musical instrument, phonograph, compact disk player, loudspeaker, karaoke machine, sound amplifier, or any machine, device or equipment that produces or reproduces any sound shall be used outside or be audible from the outside of any short-term rental. Any machine, device or equipment that amplifies music inside any short-term rental shall not be heard beyond the property line of the short-term rental at all times; ... (r)Each operator shall install and maintain in continuous operation a noise monitor on the exterior of the short-term rental to ensure compliance with the City's noise regulations (Chapter 10 of Title 5 of this Code). The Operator shall retain a record of the noise monitor readings for a period of thirty (30) days after each rental of the short-term rental;
Full Breakdown
Article 49's operation requirements impose a layered noise regime on every short-term rental. Sec. daily, during which short-term renters may not make excessive or loud noise. Sec. window. Sec. 4905(q) goes further than the general quiet-hours rule: no radio, musical instrument, phonograph, loudspeaker, karaoke machine, sound amplifier or similar device may be used outside, or be audible from outside, any short-term rental at any time of day, and amplified indoor music must not be heard beyond the property line, referencing the City's separate noise ordinance in Chapter 10 of Title 5 and the Loud and Unruly Gatherings and Social Host Liability Ordinance in Chapter 28 of Title 5.
To make the rule enforceable, Sec. 4905(r) requires every operator to install and continuously operate an exterior noise monitor, defined in Sec. 4901(h) as a sensor with a call-assist feature and no camera or recording capability, calibrated to the levels an operator sets to comply with the City's noise regulations. Operators must keep 30 days of noise-monitor readings after each rental under Sec. 4905(r) and Sec. 4906. Before check-in, Sec. 4905(d) requires operators to give guests printed and electronic notice of the quiet hours, the noise-monitor disclosure and the City's noise regulations.
Violations & Fines
A quiet-hours or noise-device violation is enforced under Sec. 9-4.4909 as any other Article 49 violation: a misdemeanor with a $1,000 fine or a public-safety infraction starting at $1,500 and escalating to $3,000 and $5,000 for repeat violations within a year. Two violations within 12 months, including a repeated noise complaint, require the Administrator to revoke the short-term rental permit under Sec. 9-4.4909(e), and any resident within 300 feet who has personally experienced the disruption may also sue for injunctive relief after 30 days' notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Pacifica's short-term rental quiet hours?
Do Pacifica short-term rentals need a noise monitor?
Can guests play amplified music outside a Pacifica short-term rental at any time?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pacifica
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