Mendocino County, CA Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Constant noise limit
- 60 dBA at residential property line
- Intermittent noise limit
- 75 dBA at residential property line
- Restricted hours
- 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- First response
- Warning only, no fine
- Repeat trigger
- 3+ citations in 90 days = nuisance
- Enforcing agency
- Sheriff's Office or Code Enforcement
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 4558, effective 4-7-2026
Summary
In unincorporated Mendocino County, nighttime noise from a radio, loudspeaker, amplifier, machine or other device that hits a neighboring home and tops 60 dBA constant or 75 dBA intermittent between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. is a code violation. The Sheriff's Office and Code Enforcement measure it from the adjacent residential property line with a decibel meter.
"Disturbance" means the playing or operating of any radio, loudspeaker, sound amplifier, or other musical device or instrument, or noise produced by any machine, or device, or by any other means, which impacts any residential property and exceeds sixty (60) dBA, constant or seventy-five (75) dBA intermittent, as measured from an adjacent residential property line using a sound decibel meter, if occurring between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 75).
Full Breakdown
m. 100 disturbance regardless of volume. 100 was adopted by Ordinance No. 4558, Section I, effective April 7, 2026, replacing the County's prior general noise nuisance approach with a defined decibel test. m.
Violations & Fines
A disturbance under Section 8.100.020 is an infraction punishable under Mendocino County Code Section 1.04.110(B). At the first response, the deputy or code enforcement officer must give an oral or written warning to stop the noise immediately; only a second or subsequent response within 90 days of that warning exposes the responsible person to administrative penalties under Chapter 1.08. If the same property is cited more than three times in a 90-day period, the Sheriff's Office or Code Enforcement may declare it a public nuisance under Chapter 8.75 and pursue abatement. All fines are collectible as a civil debt to the County.
Frequently Asked Questions
What decibel level is illegal at night in unincorporated Mendocino County?
How does the County measure the noise?
Do I get fined the first time deputies respond?
Can a repeat-offender property be shut down?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mendocino County
California rules heatmap·Compare Mendocino County to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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