Construction hours in Kern County, CA — sometimes called construction noise rules or contractor work-hour ordinances — set when contractors can run power tools, hammers, and heavy equipment.
Section 8.36.020 prohibits construction noise between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. weekdays and 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. weekends when audible at 150 feet from the site, if the site is within 1,000 feet of an occupied residential dwelling. Emergency work is exempt.
Under Kern County Code § 8.36.020, it is unlawful to create noise from construction between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on weekdays and between 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. on weekends if the construction site is within 1,000 feet of an occupied residential dwelling and the construction noise is audible to a person with average hearing faculties or capacity at a distance of 150 feet from the site. The Director of the Planning and Development Services Agency (formerly Development Services Agency) or a designated representative may, for good cause, grant a limited-time exemption for specific construction work. Emergency work — for example, repairs needed to protect health, safety, or property — is exempt from this section by its own terms. Daytime construction (6 a.m. weekdays / 8 a.m. weekends through 9 p.m.) is unrestricted by Chapter 8.36, though it remains subject to the general 'loud and raucous' standard if it disturbs neighborhood enjoyment.
A violation is enforced as a county-code offense under Title 1, prosecutable as an infraction or misdemeanor. Officers cite under § 1.12.010 using state Penal Code citation procedures. Each day a violation continues can be charged as a separate offense.
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