Tulare County, CA Noise Ordinances: Construction Hours (2026)
Construction hours in Tulare 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
- County construction-hours ordinance
- None found in the Ordinance Code
- Applicable standard
- Public nuisance (4-01-1070) + 65 dB cap (5-01-1215(b))
- Planning standard (foothill areas)
- 50 dB(A) day / 40 dB(A) night Leq (Gen. Plan 4.B.2)
- Permitting authority
- Tulare County Resource Management Agency (RMA)
- Enforcement
- Nuisance abatement under Ord. Code Chapter 4-01
Summary
Unincorporated Tulare County does not have an ordinance setting specific permitted construction hours. Construction noise is governed by the general 65 dB boundary limit (Ordinance Code 5-01-1215(b)), the Public Nuisance Ordinance (4-01-1070), and General Plan Noise Element planning standards rather than a fixed start/stop time.
'Excessive Noise Sources' include, but are not limited to, non-amplified sounds arising from parties, such as shouting, group chanting, acoustic musical instruments. Additionally, the frequent, repetitive, or continuous sounds from starting, operating, repairing, rebuilding, or testing of motor vehicles, motorcycles, dirt bikes, or other off-highway vehicles, or any internal combustion engines, are deemed to be excessive noise sources and thus subject to this chapter.
Full Breakdown
A review of the Tulare County Ordinance Code does not reveal a chapter setting day-of-week or hour-of-day limits on construction activity in unincorporated areas. weekday windows. In Tulare County, construction noise instead falls under the broad public nuisance standard of Ordinance Code Section 4-01-1070(a) - noise that is offensive to the senses and interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of a neighborhood - and, where amplified sound or 'excessive noise sources' such as engines are involved, the 65 dB property-boundary cap in Section 5-01-1215(b). 2). These are evaluated at the discretionary-permit stage, not as a homeowner construction-hours curfew. For specific projects, applicants should confirm current requirements with the Tulare County Resource Management Agency (RMA).
Violations & Fines
There is no County construction-hours fine schedule. Construction that produces noise offensive to a neighborhood can be cited as a public nuisance under Ordinance Code Chapter 4-01, which authorizes a Notice of Violation and Order to Abate, administrative review, and abatement at the owner's expense. Amplified or engine noise exceeding 65 dB at the boundary is separately enforceable under Section 5-01-1215.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours can contractors work in unincorporated Tulare County?
Are construction noise rules different in the foothills?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tulare County
How Tulare County compares: Cities with the Strictest Construction Hours·California rules heatmap·Compare Tulare County to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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