San Bernardino County, CA Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in San Bernardino County, CA, sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances, set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 24.0706(d)
- Banned hours
- 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Exception
- Emergency work only
- Test
- Outright hours ban, no audibility test
- Residential DIY exemption
- 7 a.m.-7 p.m. only, § 24.0707(d)
- First offense
- Infraction
- Repeat within 180 days
- Misdemeanor
Summary
San Bernardino County Code § 24.0706(d) bans construction equipment noise between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. countywide in the unincorporated area, with no exception for weekends or holidays. Emergency work is the only carve-out, and a first violation is an infraction that can escalate to a misdemeanor on repeat offenses.
(d) Construction Activity. Except for emergency work, it shall be unlawful for any person to operate or cause to be operated, construction equipment between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Full Breakdown
0705. , except for emergency work; unlike the other special sources in this section, subdivision (d) does not use a plainly-audible-inside-a-dwelling test, it bans the activity outright during those hours anywhere in the unincorporated County. 0705 without needing the two-neighbor sworn declarations that section otherwise requires for ordinary noise complaints. 0710 sets the penalty structure for the whole chapter: a first violation is chargeable as an infraction, a violation committed more than once within a 180-day period can be charged as a misdemeanor, and each day the construction noise continues is a separate, punishable offense.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of § 24.0706(d) is an infraction; a repeat violation within 180 days can be charged as a misdemeanor under § 24.0710(a), and each day construction equipment runs past 7 p.m. counts as its own offense. The County may pursue the case criminally, civilly, or by administrative citation, and any violation is declared a public nuisance subject to abatement under § 24.0710(b)-(c).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a mower or leaf blower in the evening under the construction exemption?
Is there any exception to the 7 p.m. construction cutoff?
What happens if a contractor keeps running equipment past 7 p.m.?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Bernardino County
How San Bernardino County compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·California rules heatmap·Compare San Bernardino County to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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