Per Article 29 Section 2908 of the Police Code, no one is allowed to perform construction activities in the public right of way that exceed the ambient noise level by 5 dBA unless a Night Noise permit is previously approved by Public Works. (See Police Code for reference)
All approved Night Noise Permits allow the Permittee to work between the hours of 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. with inspection monitoring in place; however, as a part of this approval, the noise level is not allowed to exceed 5 dBA above ambient levels after 10:00 p.m. For work occurring after 10:00 p.m. :
No high-impact and/or pneumatic tools and equipment shall be used. |
All excavation work shall be done with the use of hand tools. |
To apply for a Night Noise Permit, submit to Public Works the following:
The work to be performed and why the work is necessary to be conducted at night. |
Two (2) 24-7 emergency contact names and cell phone numbers. For City projects, one of the emergency contacts shall be the name and number of the City inspector who will be on site. |
The exact dates and times when night work will be performed. |
The name(s) of the contractor(s). |
The mitigation measures that the contractor will perform to reduce or mitigate night noise. |
If there are hotels or residential properties in the vicinity of the job location that exceed greater than 20 occupants, the applicant may, under the approval of Public Works or his/her designee, allow the following modification to the notification process: The applicant shall work with the building manager to post a notification in the lobby and other public meeting areas in the building as well as have fliers available in the lobby. |
Reason for Working at Night-Provide a detailed explanation of why this work cannot be performed during the day. Include any documentation and/or correspondence that supports your justification. See below for some of the reason that may be considered in approving a Night Noise Permit.
Additionally, other factors may be taken into account when approving any Night Noise Permit such as the impact to SFMTA transit routes or main thoroughfares wherein a Special Traffic Permit is required from SFMTA. In this type of situation, San Francisco Public Works and SFMTA work collaboratively to determine whether a Night Noise Permit would be appropriate.
If work is to be performed on a building between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. you should contact the Department of Building Inspection. Work under Port Jurisdiction shall fall under the Port for necessary review.
To register a complaint about noise while the work is in progress, please contact your local District Police Station (non-emergency line).
For more information or clarification on any of the permit requirements, please contact us at:
San Francisco Public Works • Bureau of Street-Use & Mapping
49 South Van Ness Avenue, Suite 300 • San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone : (628) 271-2000
San Francisco Public Works • Permit Center
49 South Van Ness Avenue, Suite 200 • San Francisco, CA 94103 • Map
Processing Hours:
• Please visit https://sf.gov/location/permit-center for operating hours of the Permit Center.
• Closed on official holidays