Fresno County, CA Noise from Specific Sources: Delivery Truck Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Collection hours
- 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. only
- Newest equipment limit
- 85 dBA, first 6 months
- After 5 years in service
- 80 dBA
- Equipment 36+ months new
- 75 dBA
- Measurement distance
- 50 feet, open area
- Scope
- residential waste trucks only
Summary
Fresno County bars residential waste and garbage collection with truck-mounted loading or compacting equipment before 6 a.m. or after 7 p.m., and phases in stricter noise ceilings for the equipment itself, from 85 dBA down to 75 dBA as trucks age, under County Code § 8.40.080.
Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 8.40.040, noise sources associated with the collection of waste or garbage from residential property by persons authorized to engage in such activity, and who are operating truck-mounted loading or compacting equipment, shall not take place before six a.m. or after seven p.m., and the noise level created by such activities when measured at a distance of fifty feet in an open area shall not exceed the following standards: 1.Eighty-five dBA for equipment in use, purchased or leased within six months from the effective date of this chapter;2.Eighty dBA for that equipment set forth in subsection D (1) above after five years from the effective date of this chapter.3.Eighty dBA for new equipment purchased or lease after six months from the effective date of this chapter.4.Seventy-five dBA for new equipment purchased or leased after thirty-six months from the effective date of this chapter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 51).
Full Breakdown
,' and the noise created, measured at 50 feet in an open area, is capped on a schedule tied to when the equipment entered service: 85 dBA for equipment in use, purchased, or leased within six months of the chapter's effective date; 80 dBA for that same equipment once five years have passed; 80 dBA for new equipment purchased or leased more than six months after the effective date; and 75 dBA for new equipment purchased or leased more than thirty-six months after the effective date.
040, making it the specific standard for truck-mounted collection equipment rather than an add-on. 060(I). The section does not reach general delivery trucks outside the waste-collection context; the county code sets no separate decibel standard for ordinary freight or parcel delivery vehicles. Ordinance No. 24-021, adopted December 17, 2024, is the current codification, carried forward from the original 1978 ordinance.
Violations & Fines
Collecting residential waste with truck-mounted equipment before 6 a.m. or after 7 p.m., or exceeding the applicable age-based dBA ceiling, is a misdemeanor under § 8.40.120(B): up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, or an administrative citation from $250 to $1,000 under § 8.40.120(C).
Frequently Asked Questions
What time can garbage trucks run in unincorporated Fresno County?
Does Fresno County set a noise limit for delivery trucks generally?
Why does the noise limit for garbage trucks get stricter over time?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fresno County
California rules heatmap·Compare Fresno County to another location·View the California noise from specific sources overview
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