What a pleasure it is to enjoy a quiet springtime evening in the back yard. These peaceful times, however, can be ruined by noise, especially if it makes it difficult to even carry on a conversation. Noise complaints are one of the most common complaints we deal with here at the City. With the objective of protecting the peacefulness of our residential neighborhoods, City Councils through the years have adopted noise regulations. It is up to each of us as part of a civilized community to consider our neighbors and keep the noise down, not only because it is the neighborly thing to do, but also because, in Cathedral City, it is the law.
The Noise ordinance can be found in Title 11.96 of the Cathedral City Municipal Code:
http://qcode.us/codes/cathedralcity/
The code includes a section outlining Prohibited Acts, noise producing activities that are never allowed such as racing the engine of a car, playing amplified music that is audible across property lines (unless in conjunction with a permitted event), operating a vehicle without a muffler, or intentionally sounding an alarm or siren. These prohibited acts are described in more detail in 11.96.030 of the Code.
Another section of the code covers noise producing activities that are only allowed after 8:00 in the morning and before 8:00 in the evening in residential zones and only between 7:00 am and 8:00 pm in all other zones. These include the use of power tools and machinery; gasoline or electric powered leaf blowers; pile drivers, pneumatic hammers or similar devices; and conducting motor vehicle repair work if it produces noise plainly audible across property lines. The items covered under controlled hours of operation can be found in more detail in 11.96.050 of the Code.
Section 11.96.060 deals with exemptions to the provisions of the noise ordinance. These have to do with community events permitted by the City, airport operations, public works and utilities projects, school activities conducted during normal hours of operation and activities conducted at public spaces, such as parks, during normal hours of operation.
Finally, the code includes a section regulating disturbances from construction activities. Basically, construction activities are limited to the following hours:
October 1st through April 30th
Mon. – Friday:
7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Saturday:
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday:
No permissible hours
State holidays:
No permissible hours
May 1st through September 30th
Mon. - Friday:
6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday:
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday:
No permissible hours
State holidays:
No permissible hours
Residents who wish to make a noise complaint during normal business hours of 7 am to 6 pm Monday through Thursday should call Code Compliance at 760-770-0309. During other hours the best approach is to document the occurrence and call Code Compliance the next business day.
If a resident feels that it is a serious situation during non-business hours that cannot wait until the next business day they should call the Police Department at 760-770-0303. Please remember that the Police Department will prioritize calls during times of heavy call volume and, therefore, serious crime reports, such as a violent crime in progress will take priority over a noise complaint.
Finally, if the complaint involves a vacation rental home please call the Vacation Rental Hotline at 760-553-1031.
Thanks and let’s all remember we share a responsibility for keeping our neighborhoods a great place to live. Let’s all be considerate of our neighbors and keep the noise down.
