Butte County, CA Noise from Specific Sources: Delivery Truck Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Earliest start time
- 5:30 a.m.
- Latest end time
- 8:00 p.m.
- Buffer from residential zoning
- 500 feet
- Sundays/holidays
- No collection, absent emergency
- Approving agency for exception
- Local Enforcement Agency
- Governing chapter
- Ch. 31 (Solid Waste)
Summary
Butte County bars solid-waste collection vehicles from operating within 500 feet of residentially zoned land before 5:30 a.m. or after 8:00 p.m., and prohibits collection outright on Sundays and holidays absent an emergency or Local Enforcement Agency approval, under Code of Ordinances Sec. 41A-13.
No collection activities shall take place within five hundred (500) feet of an area zoned for residential use earlier than 5:30 a.m. or later than 8:00 p.m., or on Sundays or holidays, except in emergencies or with the approval of the Local Enforcement Agency (Butte County Code Chapter 31, Solid Waste Collection, Management and Recycling).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 61).
Full Breakdown
Section 41A-13, "Waste disposal vehicles," is the noise ordinance's specific rule for collection trucks, the loudest and most frequent commercial vehicle noise source near unincorporated homes. , and no collection may occur at all on Sundays or holidays. The section allows two narrow exceptions: emergencies, or advance approval from the Local Enforcement Agency, which administers Butte County Code Chapter 31, Solid Waste Collection, Management and Recycling, the chapter this noise section cross-references for the underlying collection-service rules. Because this section sits inside the Noise Control Ordinance rather than the solid-waste chapter, a hauler that violates the time window is exposed to noise-ordinance enforcement in addition to any franchise or collection-permit consequences under Chapter 31.
The Department of Development Services administers Chapter 41A generally, employing staff trained in acoustical measurement, and processes waste-vehicle complaints the same way it processes any other noise complaint under the chapter: a complaint triggers review, an investigation may follow, and a documented violation results in written notice specifying the time of the collection activity and the section violated.
Violations & Fines
Complaint-driven enforcement runs through Sec. 41A-18: written notice specifying the facts of the violation issues first, with a correction deadline; failure to comply proceeds to Chapter 41 code enforcement, and a conviction is an infraction under Sec. 41-2. Investigation costs of a substantiated violation may be recovered from the hauler under Sec. 41A-19.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time can trash trucks start collecting near homes in unincorporated Butte County?
Can a waste hauler collect on Sundays in Butte County?
What happens if a hauler collects trash outside the allowed hours?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Butte County
California rules heatmap·Compare Butte County to another location·View the California noise from specific sources overview
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