To: Board of Supervisors
From: John Kopchik, Director, Conservation and Development
Report Title: Report on noise related issues and possible authorization to prepare new noise regulations.
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
CONSIDER accepting a report on noise related issues and AUTHORIZE Department of Conservation and Development staff to prepare new noise regulations based on staff recommendation and Board direction.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Staff costs associated with this work are expected to be modest ($15,000 to $30,000) and may be accomplished utilizing existing staff and budget.
BACKGROUND:
Noise concerns are frequently raised by members of the public. Specific noise complaints are reported to Board of Supervisors offices, DCD Code Enforcement, the Sherriff’s Office and other departments. These complaints often relate to large events, loud parties and construction, but other noise concerns are also raised. Community noise concerns have been discussed repeatedly at some Municipal Advisory Committee (MAC) meetings. The County has existing regulations to address noise but the County’s regulations are not comprehensive and thus the exploration of expanded regulations was considered necessary to evaluate the possibility of additional regulations.
On March 5, 2024, DCD staff was authorized by the Board of Supervisors to evaluate whether additional regulations of noise are necessary and practical. The Board direction included proposed outreach to the MACs via letters and a follow-up survey with noise-related questions to ascertain to the community concerns regarding various types of noise impacts typically found in the communities. On June 14, 2024, a memo was mailed to all MACs that included a request from all interested individuals to fill out an online survey linked in the memo. Following the conclusion of the time specified for submitting responses to the survey, DCD staff hosted an open, public, working group meeting on September 19, 2024, with concerned stakeholders to discuss the findings from the survey and have a broader dialogue regarding noise-related issues. Subsequently, the community input was reviewed, and DCD staff coordinated a meeting with the Sherriff’s Office in the spring of 2025 to ascertain the feasibility of enforcing any potential new regulations. On July 8, 2025, a follow-up working group meeting was hosted by DCD staff to discuss a preliminary proposal to address specific areas of noise-related concerns with the implementation of additional regulations.
The purpose of this report to the Board of Supervisors is to summarize the key findings from the public outreach and staff’s evaluation and to present the staff recommendation for developing targeted new regulations to supplement existing requirements.
Summary of Public Engagement, Staff Analysis and Recommendations
The attached slide presentation summarizes the public engagement effort, input received, staff analysis of enforcement constraints and the staff recommendation. Additional detail on the survey response is provided in the materials for the September 24, 2025 working group meeting. (A table with all the responses to the free response questions is also attached).
As presented in the slides, the staff recommendation is as follows:
1. Outdoor Amplified Sound
Proposed regulations to prohibit all outdoor amplified sound after 10:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and after 8:00 p.m. on other nights.
Proposed regulations would be consistent with existing prohibitions on amplified sound in the Temporary Events Ordinance but would apply whether or not there was a gathering or “event”.
Propose clarifying that amplified sound be considered outdoor if emanating from an indoor location but doors or windows are left open.
2. Construction-Related Noise
Propose new regulations to apply construction work hours to all projects requiring a building permit. Precise limitations to be determined as regulations are drafted. Currently, construction work hour limitations are only imposed on projects that require some form of discretionary approval. A process to provide limited exceptions and afford some flexibility should be evaluated for possible inclusion.
New regulations are proposed to be enforceable by both DCD and Sheriff’s Office. A wide range of enforcement options, including citations and administrative fines, would be explored for inclusion.
Next Steps
Board direction to staff is requested. Should DCD be directed to move forward with developing new noise regulations, staff will develop a draft ordinance pursuant to the Board’s direction and present the draft ordinance and staff analysis to the County Planning Commission to receive public input and Commission recommendations. Following presentation to the Planning Commission, the Board of Supervisors would consider the draft ordinance, staff analysis, public input and Planning Commission’s recommendations at a public meeting.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
DCD would not move forward with the exploration of establishing new noise related regulations.