Stanislaus County, CA Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)

Stanislaus County Code § 10.46.060(E) singles out construction equipment as one of the specific noise sources the county regulates beyond the general exterior noise level standards in § 10.46.050. The rule bars any person from operating construction equipment so that it causes, at or beyond the property line of any parcel with a dwelling unit, an average sound level greater than 75 decibels between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. "Construction equipment" is defined in § 10.46.030(C) as any machine used in the construction, erection, enlargement, alteration, conversion, or movement of a building, structure, or land, including associated scientific surveys, so the rule reaches earthmovers, compressors, generators, and similar job-site machinery, not just power tools.

Because § 10.46.060 standards are additive, a contractor running equipment during the restricted nighttime window can violate this subsection even while the surrounding daytime noise-zone table in § 10.46.050 would otherwise allow higher ambient levels. The chapter's stated policy, set out in § 10.46.020, is to protect the peace, health, and welfare of county residents from excessive noise in the unincorporated area, and treats noncompliant noise as a public nuisance. Measurement follows § 10.46.040: sound level readings may be taken anywhere on a property, generally three to five feet above grade and away from reflective surfaces, using a sound level meter certified within the prior twelve months and operated by a trained enforcement official.

Chapter 10.46 does not carve out a blanket construction-hours exemption the way it does for ordinary residential maintenance in § 10.46.080(K); construction equipment is instead governed by its own decibel-and-hours standard in § 10.46.060(E), so contractors working after 7:00 p.m. must keep equipment below the 75 dB threshold at neighboring dwellings regardless of the underlying zoning district.