Rocklin, CA Noise from Specific Sources: Generator Noise (2026)

Rocklin Municipal Code § 9.52.020(F) classifies generators as "light equipment," grouped with jackhammers, vibratory compactors, augers, and compressors, which triggers the construction noise-hour restrictions of § 9.52.030(A). Subsection (A)(3) requires that equipment warm-up areas, water storage tanks, equipment storage areas, and stationary noise-generating machinery, expressly including pumps and electrical generators, be located away from existing residences and other sensitive noise receptors to the extent feasible. Subsection (A)(4) goes further, requiring all self-powered equipment and stationary noise sources, again naming pumps and electrical generators, plus other construction equipment, to carry factory noise control devices such as mufflers and to be kept in good working order.

These duties apply on top of the general construction-hour ban in § 9.52.030(A)(1), which forbids discernable construction noise within one hundred feet of an occupied residence before 7:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and outside 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekends. Section 9.52.050(I) carves out a specific exemption: emergency generators and pumps at single-family residences are exempt from the noise chapter altogether, distinguishing homeowner backup power from job-site or commercial generator use. Chapter 9.52 was adopted by Ordinance No. 1197 effective January 27, 2026.