Neighbor Rules in Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach has written rules for noise, yard work, outdoor lights, parked trailers and trash carts. This guide summarizes the municipal code and the city’s own FAQ. It is not legal advice, and the code controls if anything here differs.

Noise limits

Chapter 7.25 of the municipal code sets exterior noise limits by zone. In residential areas the limit is 60 decibels (dBA) from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 50 dBA from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The city measures on the affected property over 15 minutes. If the background noise is already louder than the limit, the background level becomes the limit.

Loud talk, music and parties get different treatment. The code makes it unlawful to cause a loud or disturbing noise after a peace officer or code enforcement officer first asks you to stop. The factors include the time of day, how long it lasts and how close it is to sleeping areas. Barking dogs sit outside this chapter. They fall under Chapter 6.16, covered in the dog rules guide.

Two points from the city’s FAQ: working in a garage on minor remodeling or a hobby is allowed, while running a business from a garage is not. The city does not regulate window air conditioners, and it asks neighbors to settle those themselves. An air conditioner compressor installed under an approved plan is regulated.

Construction and maintenance hours

• Construction, remodeling, digging, grading and demolition: Loud work is allowed on weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. It is not allowed on weekends or federal holidays. Emergency work authorized by the city is an exception, and so is work that stays within the exterior noise limits above.
• Yard and property maintenance: Loud tools are allowed between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
• Chainsaws and mulching machines: Weekdays that are not federal holidays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; never on Sundays.

Owners, contractors and employers answer for the people working under them.

Leaf blowers

The code prohibits electrical and gasoline powered blowers at any time within the city. Code Enforcement lists the ban among the rules it enforces, and the city’s FAQ answers the question the same way.

Outdoor lighting

Chapter 7.70, the Good Neighbor Outdoor Lighting chapter, bans light trespass that causes glare. Outdoor lighting must be hooded, fully shielded and aimed downward. The code exempts a few things, including:

• Residential holiday lighting from November 15 to January 15, turned off by midnight, and up to seven consecutive days at other times
• Motion-sensor safety lights up to 2,400 lumens per fixture that stay on no more than five minutes
• Low-voltage landscape lighting up to 400 lumens per fixture

The code asks you to talk to the owner of the light before you file a request with the city. Only adjacent property owners directly affected by light trespass may file. The city’s FAQ points to a sample letter in its Good Neighbor Lighting materials.

RVs, trailers, boats and other vehicles

• On public streets: Chapter 10.13 limits commercial vehicles, camp trailers, house cars, trailer-mounted boats, recreational vehicles and trailers to five cumulative hours in any 24 hours. Moving to a new spot does not reset the clock. The city can remove and store a vehicle at the owner’s cost.
• Any vehicle: Section 10.06.110 bars parking on a street or alley for more than 72 consecutive hours unless the vehicle moves at least 100 feet.
• On private lots: The city’s FAQ says trailers, campers, boats and other mobile equipment stored in front yards, setback areas or vacant property are a public nuisance unless Title 25, the zoning code, allows them. The Police Department handles vehicle violations.

The parking guide covers permits, meters and lots.

Trash carts

Section 7.16.050 says you may not put carts at the curb before 7 p.m. the day before collection, and you must take them back by 6 a.m. the day after. Lids stay closed when a container is unattended. At a single-family home, carts live out of public view in a side or rear yard, an alley or an enclosed garage except on collection day. The trash and recycling guide lists pickup days.

How to report a problem

1. Talk to your neighbor first when the rule asks you to, as it does for lighting, or when the issue is one the city leaves to neighbors.
2. Open the city’s Ask Laguna form. Enter the location of the problem, not your home address. Sign in if you want replies and updates, because anonymous reports give the city no way to answer you.
3. Call by topic if you prefer a person. Phone numbers as the city publishes them:
   • Code Enforcement, (949) 497-0301: construction hours, leaf blowers, lighting, trash cans in view, graffiti on private property
   • Police Department, (949) 497-0701, on duty 24 hours: vehicle violations, and loud noise, which the code lets a peace or code enforcement officer act on once the person has been asked to stop
   • Public Works, (949) 497-0711: potholes, debris and graffiti on public property; the department maintains the beaches and parks
   • Fire Department administration, (949) 497-0700: fire hazards
   • Water Quality Dispatch, (949) 497-0378 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.: storm drain discharge and sewer spills; after 5 p.m. call Police Dispatch at (949) 497-0701
4. Call 911 for an emergency. Ask Laguna is not for emergencies.

For a project next door, the building permits guide explains how to check whether the work has a permit. For tree and hedge disputes, see the views, trees and hedges guide.