10 rules for unincorporated Colusa County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Unincorporated Colusa County sets nighttime noise limits under Chapter 13 of the County Code (Ord. No. 730). Residential property limits drop to 50 dBA from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. (55 dBA daytime). Sound audible inside a neighbor's home is restricted, with permission presumed only between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, extended to 12:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Colusa County Code Section 13-8(b) allows permitted construction, alteration, repair, and maintenance noise between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Equipment must stay at or below 83 dBA at 25 feet, or 86 dBA at the property plane. Summer projects far from homes may get a 6 a.m. permit.
Colusa County's Noise Regulations (Chapter 13) have no dog-specific barking section, but Section 13-17 makes it unlawful to willfully make or continue any noise that unreasonably disturbs a neighborhood's peace and quiet, which deputies can apply to a persistently barking dog. The residential limits of Table No. 1 (50/55 dBA) also apply at the property plane.
Colusa County Code Section 13-8(b) limits powered (leaf) blowers to 70 dBA measured at 50 feet, and bars operating one blower within a 100-foot radius of another at the same time. On single-family residential property the 70 dBA limit does not apply if the blower runs less than 10 minutes per occurrence.
Outdoor amplified-sound events in unincorporated Colusa County need a Sheriff-approved registration statement under County Code Sections 13-10 to 13-16. Registration is required when an event draws more than 100 people and noise is audible at the property plane. Approved events may run sound no more than 4 hours per 24 hours and carry only music or human speech.
Colusa County's Noise Regulations (Chapter 13) do not regulate aircraft or aviation noise, which is controlled by federal and California state law. California Code of Regulations Title 21, Section 5012 sets the acceptable airport noise level at a community noise equivalent level (CNEL) of 65 decibels, enforced under Public Utilities Code Section 21669.
Industrial operations in unincorporated Colusa County fall under County Code Section 13-6 and Table No. 1, limiting agricultural, commercial, and industrial land use to 60 dBA daytime (7 a.m.-10 p.m.) and 55 dBA at night (10 p.m.-7 a.m.) at the property plane. Section 13-7 caps absolute noise at 20 dBA over the limit, never above 80 dBA.
Colusa County Code Section 13-6 and Table No. 1 set property-plane decibel limits by land use: residential 55 dBA day / 50 dBA night; agricultural, commercial, and industrial 60 dBA day / 55 dBA night; and 65 dBA anytime along high-noise corridors (Highway 20, I-5). Section 13-7 caps noise at 20 dBA over the limit, never above 80 dBA.
Outdoor music in unincorporated Colusa County is treated as amplified sound under County Code Sections 13-11 and 13-16. Events drawing more than 100 people with noise audible at the property plane need a Sheriff-approved registration statement. Amplified sound is capped at 4 hours per 24 hours, and exemptions end at midnight (residential) or 12:30 a.m. on weekend nights.
Colusa County Code Section 13-9 makes it unlawful to repair, rebuild, or test a motor vehicle in a residentially zoned area in a way that exceeds the residential limits of Table No. 1 (50 dBA night / 55 dBA day) at the property plane. On public roads, California Vehicle Code Sections 27150-27151 require an adequate muffler and ban modified exhausts.
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