Riverside County, CA Noise from Specific Sources: Car Alarm Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Rule
- Car and house alarms exempt from noise code
- Governing section
- Riverside County Code § 9.52.020(M)
- Otherwise-applicable limit
- 55 dBA day / 45 dBA night (residential)
- Enforcement
- No citation possible for alarm sound alone
- Related limit
- Car stereos capped, § 9.52.060(A)(2)
- Adopted
- Ordinance No. 847, 2006
Summary
Riverside County's noise ordinance exempts safety, warning and alarm devices, including house and car alarms, from every decibel limit and daytime/nighttime standard in Chapter 9.52. Section 9.52.020(M) carves out alarms because they are 'designed to protect the public health, safety, and welfare,' so a car alarm sounding off does not violate the county noise code.
Sound emanating from the following sources is exempt from the provisions of this chapter: ... K.Motor vehicles, other than off-highway vehicles. This exemption does not include sound emanating from motor vehicle sound systems;L.Heating and air conditioning equipment;M.Safety, warning and alarm devices, including, but not limited to, house and car alarms, and other warning devices that are designed to protect the public health, safety, and welfare;N.The discharge of firearms consistent with all state laws.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 84 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
52, adopted by Ordinance No. and 45 dBA overnight, with higher ceilings for commercial and industrial land. 100. 060(A)(2) then limits stereos and similar systems to inaudibility inside a dwelling at night and to a 100-foot radius at other times. A factory or aftermarket alarm siren is a different device from a sound system, so it stays under the M exemption rather than the stereo rule. 010 is to regulate noise county-wide under the board's police power, without creating a CEQA significance threshold.
Violations & Fines
Because car alarms fall under the Section 9.52.020(M) exemption, sounding one is not, by itself, a violation of Chapter 9.52 and cannot draw the $500, $750 or $1,000 escalating fines Section 9.52.100 sets for other chapter violations. The exemption does not extend to a vehicle's audio or stereo system, which Section 9.52.060(A)(2) restricts to inaudibility inside a dwelling after 10 p.m.; running a car stereo that loud can still draw an infraction or, after two violations within 180 days, a misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get cited if my car alarm keeps going off in Riverside County?
Does the exemption cover a car stereo too?
What decibel limit would apply if alarms weren't exempt?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Riverside County
California rules heatmap·Compare Riverside County to another location·View the California noise from specific sources overview
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