Madera County, CA Filming & Production: Production Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 5.19.080(G)
- Who sets conditions
- The permit-issuing clerk
- Covers
- Firearms, explosions, noise-creating devices
- Scope
- Unincorporated Madera County only
Summary
Film shoots in unincorporated Madera County can be conditioned by the permit clerk to restrict firearms, explosions, and other noise-creating devices that disturb the peace.
The clerk may condition the issuance of a film permit by imposing reasonable requirements concerning the time, place, manner and duration of filming activities. ... Such conditions may include, but need not be limited to the following: ... G. Restrictions on the use of firearms, explosions, and other noise-creating or hazardous devices which disturb the peace.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 52).
Full Breakdown
Under Madera County Code § 5.19.080, the clerk who issues film permits can attach conditions on the time, place, manner, and duration of a filming activity. Item G of that section lets the clerk impose 'restrictions on the use of firearms, explosions, and other noise-creating or hazardous devices which disturb the peace.' These aren't fixed decibel limits: they're case-by-case conditions written into the permit itself, layered on top of the county's separate noise ordinance in Chapter 9.58. A production planning gunfire, pyrotechnics, or loud equipment in unincorporated Madera County should expect the clerk to write specific noise controls into the permit.
Violations & Fines
Violating a permit's noise condition is enforced as a permit violation under Chapter 5.19: the clerk can revoke or suspend the permit, and operating outside the permit's terms is a misdemeanor under § 5.19.170.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Madera County restrict gunfire or pyrotechnics noise on a film set?
Is there a set decibel limit for filming noise?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Madera County
California rules heatmap·Compare Madera County to another location·View the California filming & production overview
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