Sonoma, CA Short-Term Rentals: Noise Rules (2026)

Under SMC §19.50.140, the 2017 vacation-rental operating standards impose two noise-specific requirements: (1) a prohibition on outdoor amplified sound — no outdoor speakers, no amplified music, no PA systems anywhere on the premises at any time of day; and (2) a mandatory designated property manager whose name and phone number are filed with the City and provided to guests, with the expectation that the manager responds to neighbor complaints in real time. These STR-specific rules layer on top of the citywide noise ordinance (Sonoma Municipal Code Title 9), which establishes nighttime quiet hours and a general unreasonable-noise standard. Because Sonoma sits in the WUI/wildfire corridor and many vacation rentals are in residential neighborhoods abutting tasting rooms and event venues, the City has been aggressive about treating amplified-sound complaints as use-permit violations rather than ordinary noise calls. Repeat substantiated complaints can lead to revocation of the underlying vacation-rental permit — which, given the 2017 moratorium, is permanent.