Los Gatos has a noise ordinance and also has “quiet hours” from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. 7 days per week. As a general rule of thumb, Sundays and legal holidays are quiet days. But there are many nuances between types of noise, days / times, and even where in town a property is located.
The quiet hours are also referred to as a curfew by the town.
What is included in the noise ordinance? The noise ordinance covers all kinds of nuisance sounds related to construction, music, landscaping machinery, pickleball, barking dogs, loud air conditioners or other machinery, pool parties, entertainment at home, or any other source of irritation for nearby residents.
Construction noise, days and times permitted
Construction noise may be among the worst nuisances, particularly because it can extend for long periods of time when remodeling or additions are extensive, so let’s start here. If you’re hiring contractors to work on your home or yard, you’ll want to check out the Los Gatos Construction Ordinance.
It’s important to know when work is or isn’t permitted on your Los Gatos property:
Construction work hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday it’s 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. No Construction on Sundays or legal holidays.
There’s a caveat, though. Some homeowners or tenants are working on their own home, and it may not be possible for them to advance their project during normal business hours or Saturdays from 9 – 4. The town has made an accomodation for them:
A homeowner or tenant may personally perform construction, alteration or repair activities on their own property between 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through
Saturday and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays and holidays.
This exemption should be fairly rare, and it would be great to let nearby neighbors know if you’re planning to be sanding your own floors, using a ceramic tile saw, or jackhammering in your yard on these unusual days or hours.
Some contractors mistakenly believe that if they work on a vacant house or store, it “won’t bother anyone” if they are extra loud, start early, run late, or come on a forbidden day. In many parts of the town, homes are close together, or close to shops, and excessive sounds, or those which are early or late, or on a quiet day, can be grating on the neighbors.
Quick summary for nearly all circumstances is in the table below.
Limits to noise levels
In addition to when the work can take place, residents must also pay attention to how much sound they’re generating. Noise from an individual piece of equipment is not to exceed 85 decibels at 25′ from the source (mentioned in the table above), That is actually quite permissive, it’s a huge amount of sound!
You can find the segment below HERE.
Decibel meters are not too expensive. We purchased a Tadeto sound meter in 2023. The same model is available today for about $26. It can be a good reality check to use it, whether to see if one’s own AC is too loud or a neighbor’s activities are too loud.
Leaf Blowers
Gas powered leaf blowers have been banned in Los Gatos since 2015. At that time, my husband and I purchased a battery powered blower by Makita and have been extremely happy with it. Our gardeners at that time refused to comply with the law, so we fired them and hired a landscaping crew that was willing to comply with the law while working on our property. (We wish all of the neighbors would do the same, but acknowledge that trimmers and mowers use gasoline and are also hard on the ears.)
Additionally:
- Electric leaf blowers in excess of 65 decibels, measured 50 feet from the source, shall be prohibited from use in all residential, commercial, and industrial zones or public space.
- Miscellaneous nonstationary noise sources such as: electric or gasoline lawn mowers, electrical leaf blowers, edge trimmers, hedge trimmers and other similar moveable noise sources shall be operated only during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekends in residential, commercial, industrial, public spaces or noise sensitive zones.
- Leaf blower use is prohibited on Sundays and holidays.
Late Night Entertainment Policy
On June 21, 2016 the Town Council adopted a Late Night Entertainment Policy allowing businesses to offer entertainment before 10:00 P.M. by right, and after 10:00 P.M. with an approved permit, given there is compliance with the Town’s currently adopted Noise Ordinance.
Please check the link above for additional info and more links.
Backyard parties, pool parties, etc. that go beyond 10 p.m. need to keep the sound down to comply with the quiet hours generally, unless a special permit was obtained for the event.
Air conditioners
Air conditioners can be noisy, even if consumers buy those which are branded as quiet. We purchased a supposedly quieter slimline from Bryant and were surprised at the noise level. We later had a technician add a buffer inside to quiet it. But right next to the unit it reads 65.5 decibels.
To me, this is loud. But the town’s noise ordinance permits up to 85 decibels at 25′ from the offending machinery. (We turn off the AC at 10, neighbors don’t need to hear it when they are trying to sleep.)
At about 20′ away, it drops to under 50 decibels.
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Sec. 16.20.015. – Exterior noise levels for residential zones.
No person shall cause, make, suffer or allow to be made by any machine, animal, device or any combination of same in a residential zone, a noise level more than six (6) dB above the noise level specified for that particular noise zone, as shown on the Noise Zone Map, during that particular time frame, at any point outside of the property plane.
(Ord. No. 1852, § II(11.30.015), 5-20-91)
So what is the noise level allowed? Below is the Los Gatos noise map for 10 p.m. – 6 a.m. Most of the town is in red, so between those hours an AC should not be more than 6 decibles above 42, or 48 decibels, either at 25′ or at your neighbor’s bedroom window (which may be closer than 25′). Many AC units are louder than that. Ours was 49.4 decibels in our yard, so perhaps in the neighbor’s yard it would be under that level. Rather than nit pick, we turn the AC off at 10.
Unpleasant noise is an ongoing community issue, particularly with gardeners coming most days of the week and most of them using gas powered leaf blowers, mowers, trimmers, etc.
Overlay that with remodeling or building, and in some areas of town it can feel like there’s a never-ending barrage of unpleasant sounds. Our pocket of Los Gatos is in that situation now with several large scale home improvement projects happening all at once. We live fairly close to the shopping center formerly known as Walgreen’s Shopping Center, and in recent weeks we’ve been awakened by 2 a.m. jackhammering there, and a few nights with what seem to have been contractors throwing items into dumpsters anywhere between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m.
It’s not always easy to find the noise ordinance info for Los Gatos, and with each city having its own rules, the nuances can be confusing. I’m hoping that by pulling these together in one post it will be a quick and painless way to find what is and isn’t allowed. The neighbors will appreciate the quiet that can prevail when everyone is working by the same set of guidelines.
How to report a concern
To request a police response to a noise concern, use the non-emergency line for the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department (408) 354-8600.
The town has an app, or you can use a link on the town’s website to submit a complaint to the Code Complaince Department. Please note that you must create an account (that’s free) to submit a comment.
https://www.losgatosca.gov/2045/Report-a-Concern
Noise related links:
10 Noise Element (Town of Los Gatos)
How Loud – a website giving general info on noise levels (primarily from road traffic, sometimes also air traffic)
