At the San Luis Obispo Courthouse on Feb. 23, the room was filled with people waiting to speak to the presiding Administrative Zoning Officer on the issue of reviewing Libertine Brewing Company’s minor use permit, which allows them to serve alcohol and be exempt from the usual environmental ordinances of being quiet after 9 p.m.

The meeting stems from San Luis Obispo’s older zoning issues, as the zone where Libertine resides is residential, with borders untouched since 1997. In particular, Libertine’s alleged violation of acceptable noise levels outside the venue was the focus of the meeting.

In the past few months, the Libertine was visited several times by police due to noise complaints, resulting in citations. “That was a noticeable shift in how the city interacted with us,” Libertine Manager John Pranjic said. ”We have been working with the city to address their concerns, and we are happy that there is dialogue between us, as we do want to be good neighbors.”
Libertine has the right to play music until 2 a.m. “We never do. We strive to cut off music at 11:30 and midnight on some exceptional occasions,” Pranjic said.

The problem was the noise level heard in the adjacent neighborhood blocks. San Luis Obispo’s noise regulations state that after 9 p.m., a person standing 50 feet away from the brewery should not be able to hear more than 50 decibels of noise, similar to a quiet conversation. Libertine has been visited multiple times in 2025 on this issue, culminating in a citation on Jan. 29, 2026.
“We are surprised by this change in policy,” Pranjic said.

The complaints stemmed mostly from Thomas Barnard and Chris Baisa, a married couple that moved into the neighborhood in July 2024. Barnard was the person responsible for the city hall revisiting the permit.

Monday’s meeting drew a large turnout, with many standing in the back. The comments lasted more than an hour. The large number of public comments was almost exclusively in full support of Libertine and dissuaded the city from further consideration of additional steps regarding the noise ordinance. “In the eight years that my family has lived one block from Libertine, concert noise or other disruptions have never been a problem,”  resident Ethan Stan said.

“We had hoped to move into San Luis Obispo and make a home here,” Barnard said. He and his husband are not worried about the nature of music itself, but about the volume and the time music is played. “I wake up at 4:30 for work, and the noise has made sleeping very hard for me,” Baisa said. They further claimed to be victims of aggressive and intimidating behavior of the Libertine staff toward them.

Local musicians, who were strongly represented, pointed out that music events and playing past 9 p.m. go hand in hand, and that shutting down live music was tantamount to shutting down the business itself. “During COVID, live music is what I missed the most,” resident Roberto Monge said. “We need music to lift people up, and Libertine is the place to do so. Who else provides what Libertine provides?”

Along with these statements about the noise, many were keen to point out the communal nature and cultural pillar that Libertine provided. “Going to a show on Thursday night, hearing music you like, meeting new people – that is mental health. This is fighting the antisocial degradation,” resident Cate Armstrong said.

For Libertine, the support was greatly appreciated. “We have received support from so many musicians and neighbors, along with the petition signatures. I think it brings us closer together,” Pranjic said.

The City of San Luis Obispo’s Zoning Hearing Officer found that the evidence was insufficient to warrant a change or revision of the permits and zoning at this time, a decision that was met with applause throughout the room. “I appreciate the time and effort it takes to come out here on a Monday afternoon,” said the officer.

“Without art, without music, without culture, what do you expect downtown San Luis Obispo to be?” Pranjic said.”“We think that we are exactly where we are supposed to be, and we want to be there for a very, very long time.”