10 rules for unincorporated Nevada County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Unincorporated Nevada County has no classic curfew-style quiet-hours ordinance. Instead the General Plan Noise Element sets time-based exterior noise limits that tighten at night (10 p.m.-7 a.m.), and general after-hours disturbances are enforced by the Sheriff under California law.
Nevada County General Plan, Noise Element, Policy 9.1.2 and Table 9.1 (codified at Nevada County Code Sec. 12.04.070)
Policy 9.1.2: The following noise standards contained in Table 9.1 below, as performance standards and land use compatibility standards, shall apply to all discretionary and ministerial projects excluding permitted residential (including tentative maps) land uses. TABLE 9.1 NOISE STANDARDS - Exterior Noise Limits (Noise Level, dBA Leq / Lmax): Rural ("A1" "TPZ" "AE" "OS" "FR" "IDR") - 7 am - 7...
Unincorporated Nevada County does not have a county-wide ordinance setting fixed construction hours. Construction activity is expressly exempt from the County's exterior noise standards; limits on construction timing are instead imposed project-by-project through use permits and CEQA mitigation.
Nevada County General Plan, Noise Element, Policy 9.1.2.f (codified at Nevada County Code Sec. 12.04.070.D.8)
f. The above standards shall not apply to those activities associated with the actual construction of a project or to those projects associated with the provision of emergency services or functions.
Nevada County Code Section G-IV 1.50 makes it unlawful and a nuisance for an animal owner to allow frequent or continuous irritating or raucous noise that disturbs the neighborhood for 20 minutes or more in an hour. Complaints go to Animal Control through the Sheriff's Office.
Nevada County Code Sec. 8.01.520.A (Ord. 2522, 04/18/2023; Ord. 2530, 10/24/2023)
It shall be unlawful and a nuisance for any person owning or having control of any animal to allow or to permit any animal to do any of the following: A. To utter any frequent or continuous noise of an irritating or raucous nature which disturbs the peace and tranquility of the neighborhood for a period of twenty (20) minutes or more in an hour.
Unincorporated Nevada County has no specific leaf-blower ordinance. Leaf-blower noise falls under the General Plan's general exterior noise standards, and excessive or disturbing use is addressed by the Sheriff under California's loud-noise law.
Unincorporated Nevada County has no stand-alone amplified-music ordinance. Amplified sound is regulated through the General Plan exterior noise standards and, for organized events, through use-permit conditions; disturbances are enforced by the Sheriff under California law.
Nevada County General Plan, Noise Element, Policy 9.1.2.e (codified at Nevada County Code Sec. 12.04.070.D.7)
e. Because of the unique nature of sound, the County reserves the right to provide for a more restrictive standard than shown in the Exterior Noise Limits table contained in this policy. The maximum adjustment shall be limited to be not less than the current ambient noise levels and shall not exceed the standards of this policy or as they may be further adjusted by Policy 9.1.2.b. Imposition of...
Aircraft noise around Nevada County and Truckee Tahoe airports is managed through Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans adopted by the airport land use commissions, which the County enforces through compatible land-use decisions. In-flight aircraft operations themselves are regulated by the FAA.
Nevada County Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (adopted Sept. 21, 2011), Policy 5.1.4; adopted as county policy by Nevada County Code Sec. 21.02.030
5.1.4. Maximum Acceptable Exterior Noise Exposure: To minimize noise-sensitive development in noisy areas around an airport, new land use development shall be restricted in accordance with the following. (a) The maximum CNEL considered normally acceptable for residential uses in the vicinity of Nevada County Airport is 60 dB. (1) For the purposes of implementing this policy, no new dwelling sh...
Industrial uses in unincorporated Nevada County must meet the General Plan exterior noise limits, which cap industrial (M1, M2) zones at 80 dBA Leq and 90 dBA Lmax at any time, with stricter limits applying at the boundary of more sensitive abutting zones.
Nevada County General Plan, Noise Element, Policy 9.1.2, Table 9.1 (codified at Nevada County Code Sec. 12.04.070)
TABLE 9.1 NOISE STANDARDS - Exterior Noise Limits (Noise Level, dBA Leq / Lmax): Business Park ("BP") - 7 am - 7 pm: 65 / 85; 7 pm - 7 am: 60 / 70. Industrial ("M1" "M2") - any time: 80 / 90. b. Where two different zoning districts abut, the standard applicable to the lower, or more restrictive, district plus 5 dBA shall apply. h. Recognizing that this chapter must work toward the solution to...
Nevada County's General Plan Noise Element (Table 9.1) and matching zoning standard (Sec. L-II 4.1.7) set exterior noise limits in dBA by zoning district and time of day, ranging from 40 dBA Leq overnight in rural zones to 80 dBA in industrial zones.
Outdoor music at organized events in unincorporated Nevada County is regulated through use permits and the County's outdoor-event process, with amplified music commonly required to end by 10 p.m. and events to comply with the County's exterior noise standards.
Vehicle noise in unincorporated Nevada County is primarily controlled through the California Vehicle Code. The County's General Plan directs the Sheriff and CHP to enforce state exhaust-system and muffler requirements rather than a separate county vehicle-noise ordinance.
California Vehicle Code Sec. 27150(a); Nevada County General Plan, Noise Element, Policy 9.1.15
(a) Every motor vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine and subject to registration shall at all times be equipped with an adequate muffler in constant operation and properly maintained to prevent any excessive or unusual noise, and no muffler or exhaust system shall be equipped with a cutout, bypass, or similar device. Nevada County General Plan Policy 9.1.15: Minimize the noise i...
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