Plumas County, CA Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

Plumas County applies numeric noise standards through its 2035 General Plan Noise Element (Goal N-3.1) and the zoning code's Section 9-2.413, 'maximum allowable noise exposure within the Planning Land Use Category,' rather than a stand-alone decibel chapter. Policy N-3.1.1 defines 'major environmental noise generation sources' (highways, railroads, county airports, sawmills and similar) as those where exterior CNEL meets or exceeds 60 dB. Policy N-3.1.3 applies Noise/Land Use Compatibility Standards (Figure 21) to keep new noise-sensitive uses out of areas exceeding those levels unless mitigated. The construction-noise table (Table 3-5) provides concrete figures: Residential limits are 55 dBA Leq / 75 dBA Lmax (7 a.m.-7 p.m.), 50 / 65 (7 p.m.-10 p.m.) and 45 / 60 (10 p.m.-7 a.m.); Commercial and Public Facilities 90 dBA Lmax (day) / 75 (night); Industrial 90 dBA Lmax any time. The Noise Element's noise-ordinance implementation measure directs that industrially zoned lands mitigate noise impacts that exceed 60 dB at a noise-sensitive site or that cause the interior noise level to exceed 45 dB, and that new subdivisions achieve interior levels of 45 dB. California Title 24 separately requires interior noise in new multi-family dwellings not to exceed 45 dB Ldn/CNEL.