Pasadena Noise Ordinance: Quiet Hours, Decibel Limits, and Reporting

The Pasadena noise ordinance, set out in Chapter 9.36 of the Municipal Code, works from one baseline rule: no sound you produce may exceed the surrounding ambient noise level by more than 5 decibels, measured at the property line.¹ Layered on top of that are separate rules for construction hours, leaf blowers (gas-powered models are banned), multi-family buildings, and animals. Where you report a violation depends on what kind of noise it is.

The 5-Decibel Baseline

Section 9.36.050 makes it unlawful to create any sound that rises more than 5 decibels above the ambient noise level at the boundary of any property.¹ Ambient means the existing background level: traffic, wind, the ordinary hum of the area. Because a quiet residential street has a lower baseline than a commercial corridor, the absolute cap you can produce in a neighborhood is much tighter than the cap along a busy street, even though the 5-decibel margin is the same in both places.

This one rule covers a lot of ground. Backyard parties, workshop tools, pool equipment, HVAC units. If the sound at your neighbor’s property line reads more than 5 dB above ambient, it’s a violation.

Quiet Hours in Apartments and Condos

Multi-family buildings have fixed interior decibel caps under Section 9.36.060 that apply on top of the general rule:²

7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.: 60 dBA maximum
10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.: 50 dBA maximum

Officers can measure either inside the affected unit or 20 feet from the outside of the unit where the noise starts.² The 50 dBA nighttime ceiling is roughly the volume of quiet conversation, so a stereo or a late gathering crosses the line quickly after 10:00 p.m.

Construction Hours

Construction and repair work near homes is restricted to set windows. The rules apply inside residential districts and within a 500-foot radius of them, which sweeps in projects on nearby commercial parcels.³

Monday through Friday: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sundays and holidays: prohibited

The holiday list in the code is broader than the federal calendar. It covers New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Lincoln’s Birthday, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas.³ Lincoln’s Birthday and the Friday after Thanksgiving are the two that most often catch people off guard.

Section 9.36.080 also caps individual construction equipment at 85 dBA measured within 100 feet of the machine.² Even during permitted hours, running a piece of gear over that limit is its own violation.

When Sunday or Holiday Work Is Allowed

Two narrow paths open the Sunday and holiday door. A homeowner doing the work personally with no more than two helpers may proceed without permission. Everyone else needs a petition showing consent from at least 65 percent of households within 500 feet of the site, plus unanimous consent from immediately adjacent households.⁴ Emergency work is exempt regardless of day or hour.

Leaf Blowers

Gas-powered leaf blowers are banned in Pasadena. Only electric or battery-powered models are legal, and even those cannot exceed 65 decibels measured from 50 feet away.⁵ Permitted hours:

Monday through Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: not permitted

Duration matters too. On parcels under half an acre, a blower may run no more than 15 minutes per hour. Half-acre and larger parcels get 30 minutes per hour. Only one blower may operate on a parcel at a time, so a crew cannot run several at once to cut the job short.⁵

Enforcement starts with a warning. After that, citations climb: $100 for the first, $200 for the second, $500 for the third, and $1,000 for the fourth. Both landscapers and the property owners who hire them can be cited. Gas-powered blowers may be used only when directed by emergency responders to protect life or property.⁵

Barking Dogs and Other Animal Noise

Section 9.36.150 makes it unlawful to keep any animal that causes annoyance or discomfort to a reasonable person of normal sensitivity in a residential neighborhood.¹ The code sets no fixed minutes-of-barking threshold. What counts is whether the noise would bother a reasonable person.

Filing takes more than a phone call. Pasadena Humane requires a signed petition with signatures from at least two additional neighbors who are also directly affected, plus a seven-day log from every signer documenting each date and time they hear the disturbance.⁶ The city won’t move forward without that documentation.

What the Ordinance Doesn’t Cover

Section 9.36.170 carves out several categories where the noise rules do not apply, and if your complaint targets one of them, there is no enforcement path:⁴

Street sweeping, utility repairs, downed-wire removal, and similar public agency or contractor work done for emergency or public safety purposes
Special events authorized by the city manager, subject to the General Plan Noise Element limits
Events licensed by the Rose Bowl Operating Company, also subject to General Plan limits
Horns and sirens on authorized emergency vehicles, and standard car radios heard only by vehicle occupants

How to Report a Violation

Where you call depends on what’s happening. For active disturbances in progress, a loud late-night party, blaring music, a noisy gathering next door, call the Pasadena Police Department non-emergency line at 626-744-4633.⁷ Code Compliance does not handle loud music or noisy neighbor calls; those go to police.

For ongoing code issues like unpermitted construction or repeat leaf blower misuse, file through the City Service Center’s online portal, or call 626-744-7311 Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.⁷

Animal noise runs through Pasadena Humane with the petition and seven-day log described above.⁶

Documenting the Problem

Whichever channel you use, the case gets stronger with detail. Record the exact address the noise comes from, the date and time of each occurrence with start and stop times, and a plain description of the sound: grinding, bass, barking, hammering. A single midnight call may get an officer sent out, but repeat violations backed by a written record give enforcement staff something to cite. For animal complaints, the seven-day log with neighbor signatures isn’t optional; without it, the file doesn’t advance.⁶

1
City of Pasadena. Pasadena, California, Code of Ordinances – Chapter 9.36 Noise Restrictions
2
Pasadena, CA Code of Ordinances. Pasadena Code 9.36 – Noise Restrictions
3
City of Pasadena. Construction and Delivery Hours
4
City of Pasadena. Ordinance Fact Sheet – Noise Restrictions
5
City of Pasadena. Gas-Powered Leaf Blower Ban
6
Pasadena Humane. Animal Noise Complaints
7
City of Pasadena. File a Complaint – Planning and Community Development Department