Residents in unincorporated areas of Monterey County now have a dedicated Noise Complaint Hotline to report noise ordinance violations. The new hotline number is 831-755-5177.
The County of Monterey Housing and Community Development Department is rolling out the hotline incrementally and the service may be increased over time.
The hotline will be primarily active during weekend hours when County staff and law enforcement typically receive the most complaints. Here is what callers making noise complaints can expect when using this hotline:
- Initially, a caller will be able to directly reach a Code Compliance Officer at the hotline, Friday and Saturdays, between the hours of 12pm-10pm.
- If the Compliance Officer is unavailable the calls will be rolled over to the Building Official then the Director.
- If the three staff members dedicated to receive complaints are unavailable when someone calls, that caller will be able to leave a voicemail message.
- At any time the hotline is not active, a caller may also leave a voicemail message.
Certain areas of the county have had significant issues with noise complaints and the creation and active times for the hotline are designed to address these community issues; however, this hotline is available for anyone in the unincorporated county to use if there is a noise problem that needs to be reported. This hotline is not for the incorporated city jurisdictions.
Residents with noise concerns may still reach out to the Sheriff’s Office non-emergency lines:
- Salinas 831-755-5111
- Monterey 831-647-7911
- King City 831-385-8311
The county of Monterey recently updated its Noise Ordinance. Among important rules for residents to know, noise that exceeds 85 dBA measured 50 feet away is prohibited at any time of the day. During overnight hours, 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., any loud and unreasonable noise, including amplified noise, that exceeds 45 dBA measured 50 feet away, is prohibited.
For complete details on the County noise rules and hours information go to: https://library.municode.com/ca/monterey_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT10HESA_CH10.60NOCO
