The Anaheim noise ordinance sets a single citywide limit of 60 dBA measured at the affected property’s boundary, and that limit applies 24 hours a day with no separate daytime or nighttime number. Amplified sound carries its own quiet hours on top of that cap, construction gets a daytime pass, and a second violation jumps from an infraction to a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 in fines or six months in jail.
The 60 dBA Property-Line Limit
Chapter 6.70 of the Anaheim Municipal Code prohibits anyone from generating sound that exceeds 60 dBA at the boundary of the affected property.1Anaheim Municipal Code. Anaheim Municipal Code Chapter 6.70 Sound Pressure Levels Unlike cities that use different caps for residential, commercial, and industrial zones, Anaheim uses one number everywhere. The reading is taken where the sound lands, not where it originates, so a loud business backing up to homes is judged by what a meter picks up at the residential property line.
One practical quirk matters for complaints: the measured level has to be at least 5 dBA above the ambient background noise (with the offending source turned off) for the reading to count.1Anaheim Municipal Code. Anaheim Municipal Code Chapter 6.70 Sound Pressure Levels If traffic hum already sits at 57 dBA on your street, a source that nudges the meter to 61 dBA will not produce a citation.
Quiet Hours for Amplified Sound
Amplified sound (anything that boosts voice, music, or other audio through a speaker) is governed by Chapter 6.72 and comes with time-of-day limits the base ordinance does not have.2Anaheim Municipal Code. Anaheim Municipal Code Chapter 6.72 Amplified Sound
In residential zones, and anywhere within 200 feet of a residential boundary, the rules tighten:
- Commercial amplified sound from a fixed location is banned outright. A moving vehicle may use a loudspeaker between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM, but it has to go silent the moment the vehicle stops.
- Noncommercial amplified sound (a backyard party speaker, for example) is prohibited between 8:00 PM and 8:00 AM.
In non-residential zones more than 200 feet from any residential boundary, the windows are a bit wider:
- Commercial amplified sound is prohibited between 9:00 PM and 8:00 AM.
- Noncommercial amplified sound is prohibited between 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM.
At any hour and in any zone, amplified sound cannot be audible inside an enclosed building more than 200 feet from the source. The ordinance also bans amplified sound near hospitals, schools, and publicly operated arenas or stadiums when those facilities are in use, if the sound disrupts activities there.2Anaheim Municipal Code. Anaheim Municipal Code Chapter 6.72 Amplified Sound
Construction Hours
Construction and building repair are exempt from the 60 dBA cap between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM.1Anaheim Municipal Code. Anaheim Municipal Code Chapter 6.70 Sound Pressure Levels Outside that window, construction is treated like any other noise source and has to stay under 60 dBA at the neighbor’s property line, which is nearly impossible with heavy equipment. The ordinance does not flatly ban night work; it just removes the daytime pass.
The Director of Public Works or the Building Official can authorize extended hours when a project needs them, which covers situations like road repaving, emergency utility repairs, and large pours that cannot be interrupted.
What’s Fully Exempt
Three categories of sound sit outside Chapter 6.70 entirely:
- Traffic noise from normal vehicle use on public roads.
- Emergency activities, including sirens and alarms.
- Sound from governmental units or their contractors, which sweeps in street sweepers, public works crews, and similar operations.
These exemptions are categorical.1Anaheim Municipal Code. Anaheim Municipal Code Chapter 6.70 Sound Pressure Levels A complaint about a fire truck or a city crew repairing a water main at 2:00 AM will not go anywhere, regardless of the decibel reading.
Barking Dogs
Barking dogs are handled under Chapter 8.10, not the sound pressure rules. A “barking dog” means one that barks, bays, cries, howls, or makes noise incessantly for 30 minutes or more in any 24-hour period, or intermittently for 60 minutes or more in that same period.3American Legal Publishing. Anaheim Municipal Code 8.10.020 – Definitions The noise has to disturb another person, but the dog does not need to break any particular decibel reading.
The code carves out a defense: a dog barking at someone trespassing, threatening to trespass, or deliberately provoking the animal does not count. If someone is rattling the fence to set the dog off and then filing complaints, that scenario is specifically excluded.
Penalties
A first violation of Chapter 6.70 is charged as an infraction, similar to a traffic ticket. The second violation by the same person, and every one after that, is a misdemeanor.4Anaheim Municipal Code. Anaheim Municipal Code 6.70.020 – Violations and Penalties Under the city’s general penalty provision, a misdemeanor conviction carries a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both. Each day the violation continues counts as a separate offense, so fines can stack quickly against someone who ignores warnings.5American Legal Publishing. Anaheim Municipal Code 1.01.370 – Violations of Code – Penalty
The city may also pursue civil fines through its administrative citation process. The dollar amounts for those citations are set by City Council resolution rather than fixed in the code. Enforcement typically starts with a warning and a chance to comply before anything else happens.6Anaheim Municipal Code. Anaheim Municipal Code 6.70.030 – Enforcement
How to Report a Noise Problem
Where you report depends on when the noise is happening. During business hours, use the Anaheim Anytime portal, which routes complaints to Code Enforcement. The portal accepts submissions around the clock, but staff only review them during normal working hours.7Anaheim, CA – Official Website. Anaheim Anytime For noise happening late at night or on weekends when Code Enforcement is not staffed, call the Anaheim Police Department’s non-emergency line at (714) 765-1900.
Document the problem before you file. A useful report includes the exact source address, the type of noise (construction, amplified music, machinery, a barking dog), the dates and times of each incident, and how long each episode lasted. Duration is especially important: the measurement protocol under Chapter 6.70 and the thresholds in the barking dog chapter both turn on it. Your contact information is required when you file, but it stays confidential from the person you are reporting. If you have already tried talking to your neighbor, say so in the report; officers tend to take complaints more seriously when there is a record of an attempted resolution.