10 rules for unincorporated Alpine County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Alpine County (entirely unincorporated; county seat Markleeville) does not set blanket clock-based quiet hours. Its noise standard, Code Section 18.68.090, caps sound at the parcel line by zone and exempts ordinary residential activity only between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Short-term rentals carry a stricter 9 p.m.–7 a.m. quiet window.
Unincorporated Alpine County exempts construction noise from its decibel limits between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday–Friday and 9 a.m.–3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday (Code 18.68.090(F)(1)). Outside those hours, construction noise must stay within the zone's parcel-line sound limit.
Unincorporated Alpine County's noise standard (Code 18.68.090) treats sound at the parcel line by a zone-based decibel limit and does not call out barking dogs specifically. Persistent barking that exceeds the zone limit, or that rises to a nuisance, can be addressed under the County code and California Penal Code 370 and 415.
Unincorporated Alpine County has no leaf-blower-specific ordinance — no ban, no model restriction, no separate decibel cap. Leaf blowers fall under the general noise standard (Code 18.68.090) and the residential-activity exemption, which covers ordinary yard maintenance only between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Unincorporated Alpine County has no separate amplified-music section. Amplified sound is limited by the parcel-line decibel standard (Code 18.68.090): 60–75 dB(A) Leq(15) by zone, at all hours. Special events need a permit that sets the allowed sound level and duration. Penal Code 370 and 415 back this up.
Aircraft noise is not regulated by Alpine County's local code. In California, airport and aircraft noise is governed by state law — the State Aeronautics Act (Public Utilities Code 21669) and Caltrans' airport noise standards (Title 21 CCR 5000 et seq.) — within limits set by federal preemption (FAA). The County's noise standard (18.68.090) does not set an aircraft limit.
Unincorporated Alpine County applies its parcel-line decibel standard (Code 18.68.090) to commercial and recreational uses at 75 dB(A) Leq(15). Routine commercial property maintenance is exempt only 7 a.m.–9 p.m. The county has no heavy-industrial zone; most non-residential activity is commercial or commercial-recreational.
Unincorporated Alpine County sets numeric decibel limits in Code 18.68.090(B): sound beyond a parcel boundary may not exceed an Leq(15) of 60 dB(A) (Residential Estates), 65 dB(A) (Residential Neighborhood), 70 dB(A) (Institutional, Planned Development), or 75 dB(A) (Commercial, Commercial Recreational).
Unincorporated Alpine County has no outdoor-music-specific ordinance. Outdoor music must stay within the parcel-line decibel limits of Code 18.68.090 (60–75 dB(A) Leq(15) by zone). Events with outdoor music are routed through a special-event permit that sets the allowed sound level and duration.
Unincorporated Alpine County's noise standard (Code 18.68.090) exempts lawful recreational vehicles — ATVs, snowmobiles, motor bikes — and personal vehicle repair only between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. On-road vehicle exhaust and muffler noise is governed by the California Vehicle Code statewide, not by a separate County decibel rule.
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