Noise pollution Riverside CA (lease, home, neighborhood)

[raynay]

I was wondering if anyone knows the laws about loud noise on the weekend. My neighbors send their kids outside every weekend as early as 6 am and they scream, yell and fight right next to our bedroom windows waking me and my daughter up. They have about 12 people living in a 2 bedroom 543 square foot house, so they constantly put the kids outside so they don't have to deal with it, and the rest of the neighborhood does. We call the cops, but it takes hours to get out here and usually they quiet down when the see the cops pull up. The man next door told me he does not care about waking people up and we can go f@#% ourselves if we don't like it. Is there anything else I can do. Is there someone other than the police, who really don't care anyway, that can help. We have also tried to let the landlord know and he also said he doesn't care, and to call the police. It is lame that we can't even enjoy peace and quiet after a long week of work because some people can't be respectful. Thanks in advance to anyone that might be able to give me some advice.

[Arjay51]

Try calling childrens services, citing lack of care and supervision of these children.

[Gandalara]

Originally Posted by raynay

I was wondering if anyone knows the laws about loud noise on the weekend. My neighbors send their kids outside every weekend as early as 6 am and they scream, yell and fight right next to our bedroom windows waking me and my daughter up. They have about 12 people living in a 2 bedroom 543 square foot house, so they constantly put the kids outside so they don't have to deal with it, and the rest of the neighborhood does. We call the cops, but it takes hours to get out here and usually they quiet down when the see the cops pull up. The man next door told me he does not care about waking people up and we can go f@#% ourselves if we don't like it. Is there anything else I can do. Is there someone other than the police, who really don't care anyway, that can help. We have also tried to let the landlord know and he also said he doesn't care, and to call the police. It is lame that we can't even enjoy peace and quiet after a long week of work because some people can't be respectful. Thanks in advance to anyone that might be able to give me some advice.

Call your landlord every single time they wake you up. And then call the police. Especially if it's 6 AM.

Seriously - most local noise ordinances designate certain "quiet hours" -- for example, from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and until 8 or 9 a.m. on weekends.

If complaining doesn't work, get a copy of your local noise ordinance. Send a copy to the neighbor with a note repeating your request to keep the noise down and explaining that you'll be forced to notify the authorities if you don't get results. Be sure to provide details on the problem, including the dates and times of the noise.

If you rent or live in a planned development, send a copy of the lease agreement or special rules (usually called Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions) to the neighbor. If that doesn't work, report the problem to the landlord or homeowners' association in writing. It helps if several tenants complain at the same time.

Almost every community prohibits excessive, unnecessary, and unreasonable noise. To find Riverside's noise rules, look up the local ordinances.

* County: www .countyofriverside.us
* City: www .riversideca.gov

(remove the space between www and '.' - I couldn't stop C-D from mangling the URL)

If your neighbor keeps disturbing you, you can sue, and ask the court for money damages or to order the neighbor to stop the noise ("abate the nuisance," in legal terms). For money damages alone, you can use small claims court. For a court order telling somebody to stop doing something, you'll probably have to sue in regular court.

Of course, what you really want is for the nuisance to stop. But getting a small claims court to order your neighbor to pay you money can be amazingly effective. And suing in small claims court is easy, inexpensive, and doesn't require a lawyer.

To win, you'll need to show:

* There is excessive and disturbing noise.
* The person you are suing is either creating the noise or is it the landlord and therefore responsible.
* Your enjoyment of your home is affected.
* You have asked the person to stop the noise.

To prove your case, use police reports, witnesses, your own testimony, or even a recording.

As for 12 people living in a 2-bedroom, call code enforcement and report them AND the landlord.