Noise Ordinances in Merced County, CA (2026)
6 rules for unincorporated Merced County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Quiet Hours
Unincorporated Merced County bars noise that exceeds the background sound level by 5 dBA between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., stricter than the 10 dBA daytime allowance. The Sheriff, acting as noise control officer, enforces the limit under Chapter 10.60, with fines starting at $100 for a first infraction.
Merced County Nighttime Noise Curfew
Some RestrictionsMerced County Code § 10.60.030(A)
No person shall cause, suffer, allow, or permit the operation of any sound source on private property in such a manner as to create a sound level that results in any of the following, when measured at or within the real property line of the receiving property: 1. Exceeds the background sound level by at least 10 dBA during daytime hours (seven a.m. to ten p.m.) and by at least five dBA during n...
Construction Hours
Unincorporated Merced County limits construction, drilling, earthmoving, and demolition noise to weekdays between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. The work is barred outside that window on weekdays and entirely on weekends and legal holidays, except for emergency repairs, under the county's noise control chapter.
Merced County Construction Noise Hours
Some RestrictionsMerced County Code § 10.60.040(B)(5)
Operating or permitting the operation of any tools or equipment used in construction, drilling, earthmoving, excavating, or demolition work between six p.m. and seven a.m. the following day on a weekday or at any time on a weekend day or legal holiday, except for emergency work, or when the sound level does not exceed any applicable relative or absolute limit specified in Section 10.60.030;
Barking Dogs
Merced County's animal control ordinance treats a dog's barking as a nuisance only when it becomes chronic: noise lasting more than 15 minutes per incident that keeps neighbors from sleeping or using their property. The code expressly protects normal, periodic barking, so a single bark or short outburst is never a violation.
Merced County Barking Dog Noise Nuisance Rule
Light RestrictionsMerced County Code § 7.04.010
"Animal nuisance," within the meaning of this title, means such actions or behaviors of an animal (excluding those agricultural activities permitted by Merced County Code) which interfere with the rights of persons to the enjoyment of life or property by creating chronic annoyance, disturbance, or discomfort to neighbors or others in close proximity to the premises where the animal is kept, har...
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Merced County's noise ordinance bars any stereo, radio or similar device from creating a noise disturbance for anyone but its operator, and flatly bans loudspeakers or PA systems from crossing a residential property line between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. under Code Section 10.60.040(B).
Merced County Amplified Sound Time Limits
Some RestrictionsMerced County Code § 10.60.040(B)(1)-(2)
No person shall cause, suffer, allow, or permit to the following acts: 1. Operating, playing, or permitting the operation or playing of any stereo, radio, television, phonograph, or similar device that reproduces or amplifies sound in such a manner as to create a noise disturbance for any person other than the operator of the device; 2. Using or operating any loudspeaker, public address system,...
Decibel Limits
Merced County Code Section 10.60.030 sets numeric sound limits at the receiving property line: no more than 10 dBA above background by day or 5 dBA above background at night, plus flat caps of 65 dBA Ldn residential/70 dBA nonresidential and 75 dBA Lmax residential/80 dBA nonresidential.
Merced County Numeric Noise Decibel Limits
Some RestrictionsMerced County Code § 10.60.030(A)
A. No person shall cause, suffer, allow, or permit the operation of any sound source on private property in such a manner as to create a sound level that results in any of the following, when measured at or within the real property line of the receiving property: 1. Exceeds the background sound level by at least 10 dBA during daytime hours (seven a.m. to ten p.m.) and by at least five dBA durin...
Vehicle Noise
Merced County's noise ordinance targets vehicle stereos with heavy bass and off-highway vehicles run on private land. A stereo cannot push low-frequency sound more than 10 dB above the ambient C-weighted level at 10 feet, and an off-highway vehicle cannot create a noise disturbance across a residential property line.
Merced County Vehicle Stereo & OHV Noise Rule
Some RestrictionsMerced County Code §§ 10.60.030(C), 10.60.040(B)(6)
When the source being analyzed is a stereo system with low frequency signals as part of its output, the stereo shall not cause a C-weighted level of 10 dB or greater above the C-weighted ambient level at a distance of 10 feet from the source, or the complainant's real property line, whichever is greater. ... Using, operating, or permitting the operation of one or more off-highway vehicles on pr...
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