Cathedral City, CA Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)

Section 11.96.030(A)(4) of the Cathedral City Municipal Code, part of Chapter 11.96 on noise control, makes it unlawful to intentionally sound, or permit the sounding of, any fire, burglar or civil defense alarm, siren, whistle or motor vehicle burglar alarm outdoors, except for emergency purposes or for testing, unless the alarm is terminated within fifteen minutes of activation. The rule reaches the person in charge of the car: § 11.96.020 defines a responsible person as anyone who owns, leases or is lawfully in charge of the motor vehicle where the violation takes place, or who owns or controls the source of the noise, and the parent or guardian is the responsible person when the person is a minor.

Enforcement follows a warning ladder. Under § 11.96.030(D) an enforcement officer who finds a violation can issue a written notice demanding immediate abatement, which must warn that a second violation of the same provision within a seventy-two-hour period can bring a criminal citation or notice of public nuisance, criminal and civil penalties, and confiscation and impoundment as evidence of the components amplifying or transmitting the noise. Under subsection (E) a peace officer who finds that second violation is empowered to confiscate those components, and under subsection (F) a person claiming ownership can request return by filing a written request with the police department within seven calendar days of the confiscation. Section 11.96.090 makes the responsible person liable for the actual cost of each response needed within seventy-two hours after the written warning, billed within thirty days with notice of a right to request a hearing. Under § 11.96.080 the police and the code compliance division jointly administer the chapter. Subsection (G) exempts noise from city operated or sponsored special events and permitted events on public property.