On weekends, when city building offices are closed, contractors come into the city and do jobs. Question is, do they even have permits for the jobs they are doing? It is really annoying when they break city building laws and noise ordinances. Like today, a residence had multiple pressure washers screaming for over 6 hours that caused cancellation of outdoor activities on Mother’s Day weekend due to noise percolating from this job site through the neighborhood. Will a call to SBPD to report these potentially unpermitted building projects and excessive noise address these issues when the city building office is closed? If not what should residents do when an event like this happens in their neighborhood to get it stopped and not allow the contractors to ,continue unabated and ruin weekend plans?
Anonymous
Hi Anonymous,
Thank you for reaching out about the excessive noise and potential unpermitted work that disrupted your weekend plans. We understand how frustrating it is when unexpected construction noise makes it impossible to enjoy outdoor activities, especially when it continues for hours on end.
Under California Penal Code Section 415, disturbing the peace includes making loud and unreasonable noise that disrupts others’ comfort. But what exactly is “unreasonable noise”? In general, noise becomes unreasonable when it is excessive in volume, duration, or timing—especially if it interferes with the normal use and enjoyment of someone’s home. For example, running multiple industrial pressure washers for six continuous hours in a residential neighborhood—especially on a weekend—may cross that threshold. Officers responding to noise complaints consider the totality of the circumstances, including time of day, location, and intensity of the noise.
Furthermore, the Seal Beach Municipal Code section 7.15.025 specifies construction hours (7 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Saturday) and prohibits construction noise on Sundays and City-observed federal holidays.
If you experience something like this, please do not hesitate to call the Seal Beach Police Department’s non-emergency line at (562) 594-7232 to report a noise complaint. An officer will respond, assess the situation, and can order the noise to cease if it violates the law. If it turns out the work is unpermitted, the city can require the contractor to halt all work until proper permits are secured.
Our approach combines education with targeted enforcement. Officers will first encourage voluntary compliance, but if the disturbance continues or the contractor refuses to comply, they may take enforcement action.
Keep your questions coming, Seal Beach! Email us at askacop@sealbeachca.govtoday!
