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

Unlike some city ordinances, Madera County Code Chapter 9.58 does not establish a table of maximum permitted decibel levels by zone or time of day. The operative standards are qualitative and proximity-based. Section 9.58.020(A) prohibits 'disturbing, excessive or offensive noise which causes discomfort or annoyance to reasonable persons of normal sensitivity.' For amplified sound, Section 9.58.020(E)(2)(b) provides the only audibility-distance test: sound 'plainly audible at a distance of fifty feet from the source' is prima facie evidence of a violation. The County does, however, set a measurable vibration limit: Section 9.58.020(F), read with the definitions in Section 9.58.011, prohibits operating any device that creates a vibration above the 'vibration perception threshold' (presumed to be a motion velocity of 0.1 inches per second over the range of 1 to 100 Hz) at or beyond the property boundary if on private property, or 150 feet (46 meters) from the source if on a public right-of-way. Section 9.58.011 also defines Hz (hertz) and notes that speech information usually falls between 200 Hz and 6000 Hz. Because the county relies on these qualitative and vibration-based standards rather than dBA caps, enforcement focuses on whether noise disturbs persons of normal sensitivity, audibility at 50 feet, and perceptible vibration at the property line.