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

Construction noise in unincorporated Riverside County is governed by Ordinance No. 847. Rather than a blanket permitted-hours table, the ordinance treats construction as a conditional exemption under Section 2. Private construction projects located one-quarter (1/4) mile or more from an inhabited dwelling are fully exempt from the noise standards. Private construction projects within a quarter-mile of an inhabited dwelling are exempt only if they observe seasonal nighttime limits: construction may not occur between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. during the months of June through September, and may not occur between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. during the months of October through May. In effect, work must stop by 6:00 p.m. year-round near homes, and may not resume until 6:00 a.m. in summer or 7:00 a.m. in the cooler months. Capital improvement projects and maintenance/repair of public properties by a governmental agency are separately exempt. If a contractor needs to exceed these hours, Section 7 allows a construction-related exception, applied for through the Director of Building and Safety on a county form with a filing fee; no public hearing is required, and that director's decision is final. Construction that ignores both the hours and the exception process loses its exemption and becomes subject to the general dBA limits in Table 1.