10 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Kings County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Unincorporated Kings County has no fixed clock-based quiet hours. Its noise abatement ordinance (Code Ch. 15, Art. X, Sec. 15-211) instead bans any noise that annoys persons of ordinary sensitivity or interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property, enforced by the Sheriff as a nuisance.
Kings County's code sets no specific permitted hours for construction noise in unincorporated areas. Construction is judged under the general noise-nuisance standard (Sec. 15-211), which bars noise that unreasonably disturbs neighbors given its time and place.
Kings County Code Sec. 4-79 makes it an infraction to keep an animal that, by continuous barking, whining, or other noise, unreasonably disturbs the peace, comfort, or quiet of any neighborhood resident. Animal Control (Sheriff's Office) investigates complaints.
Kings County has no ordinance specific to leaf blowers or gas-powered yard equipment in unincorporated areas. Such noise is handled under the general nuisance standard (Sec. 15-211), and statewide CARB rules phase out new gas-powered small off-road engines.
Kings County controls amplified sound through its noise-nuisance rule (Sec. 15-211) and a loud-party cost-recovery scheme (Secs. 15-212, 15-213). Loudspeakers mounted on vehicles also require a Board of Supervisors permit (Code Ch. 8, Art. II).
Military jet noise from NAS Lemoore is the dominant aircraft-noise source in Kings County. It is governed by the Navy's AICUZ program and federal law, not the county code. The county manages compatibility through General Plan CNEL standards and agricultural zoning around the base.
Industrial and agricultural noise in unincorporated Kings County is controlled through the noise-nuisance rule (Sec. 15-211) and, for new development, the General Plan Noise Element's CNEL standards applied during land-use permitting and CEQA review rather than by a fixed decibel ordinance.
Kings County's noise ordinance sets no decibel limits; it bans noise that is unreasonably annoying or a nuisance (Sec. 15-211). Quantitative CNEL noise levels appear only in the General Plan Noise Element for land-use planning, not as an enforceable sound cap.
Outdoor music and live entertainment in unincorporated Kings County fall under the noise-nuisance rule (Sec. 15-211) and the loud-party cost-recovery scheme (Secs. 15-212 to 15-213). Larger entertainment events also require an entertainment permit under Code Ch. 15, Art. III.
Kings County's code has no vehicle-noise or muffler ordinance; on-road vehicle noise is governed by the California Vehicle Code, enforced by the Sheriff and CHP. Amplified sound broadcast from a vehicle does require a county permit under Chapter 8, Article II.
1 cities in Kings County have their own noise ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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Kings County Ordinance Hub →