Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Question:
What are the allowed hours and days of construction permitted so as not to disturb the neighborhood? A house demolition and re-building project is taking place in my neighborhood and work goes on into the late night hours and on weekends. We need to know if perhaps there may be a violation. We are interested in maintaining good relationships with the owners but are now lacking sleep! Thank you.

Answer:
Thank you for your patience, and for using Los Angeles County's FAQ system. The building construction noise ordinance is codified in Title 12, Chapter 12.12 of Los Angeles County Code (A link to this code has been provided below, titled "LA County"). Another County noise ordinance covering a much broader array of noise sources is codified in Title 12, Chapter 12.08.

However, the two ordinances overlap in many ways related to construction, and have different hours for prohibition of loud noise (Chapter 12.12, hours are 8 pm to 6:30 am; Chapter 12.08, hours are 8 pm to 7 am).

Violations of any part of Chapter 12.08, including construction noise, is the responsibility of the Health Officer. The primary difference between the two Chapters is that the Health Officer determines violations based on decibel levels (Chapter 12.12), while the Building Construction Noise - Chapter 12.08 - simply restricts certain construction equipment from operating during nighttime hours, regardless of any particular noise level.

Although the public must rely on the Sheriff during off-hours for enforcement of Chapter 12.08 regulations, Building and Safety and the Sheriff can issue violations.

To summarize - the prohibited hours for Building Construction Noise are between the hours of 8 pm and 6:30 am, Monday through Saturday, and all day Sunday, with certain exceptions. If we receive a complaint either through the Sheriff or through a constituent - such as yourself - we will notify the contractor/builder in writing with a formal correction notice.

If the violations persist, we would record a notice of violation against the property until the unwarranted activity ceased.

Please contact the Building and Safety District office listed below for any complaints or questions that you may have:

Lomita/Lennox Office
24320 S. Narbonne Ave., Lomita 90717
Phone: (310) 534-3760
Fax: (310) 530-5482

I hope this information has been helpful, and thank you again for you inquiry.

Links:
  LA County