Delano, CA Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Code
- Delano DC §20.10.90.2.b and §20.10.90.2.c
- Wall type
- Decorative masonry wall sufficient for sound attenuation
- Min wall height
- Six (6) feet on the commercial side
- Front or street side yard setback
- Reduced to forty (40) inches
- Applies between
- Commercial or employment districts and adjacent existing or planned residential uses
Summary
Delano Development Code §20.10.90.2 uses walls, not a decibel figure, to manage noise where business districts meet homes. Under §20.10.90.2.c, screening between commercial or employment districts and adjacent existing or planned residential uses must be a decorative masonry wall sufficient for sound attenuation, with a minimum height of six (6) feet on the commercial side.
The screening between commercial or employment districts and adjacent existing or planned residential uses shall consist of a decorative masonry wall sufficient for sound attenuation, and shall have a minimum height of six (6) feet on the commercial side of the wall, except for front yard or street side yard setback area, where it will be reduced to forty (40) inches in height.
Full Breakdown
This Delano rule addresses noise through site design. The quoted provision states no decibel reading. It requires a physical barrier where commercial or employment districts border residential uses.
Where it applies. Section 20.10.90.2.c covers screening between commercial or employment districts and adjacent residential uses. The residential use can be existing or planned, so the Delano wall requirement applies even where the neighboring homes have not been built yet.
What must be built. The screening must be a decorative masonry wall. The wall has to be "sufficient for sound attenuation," which makes noise reduction a performance requirement and not only a matter of appearance.
How tall. The minimum height is six (6) feet, and the code measures it on the commercial side of the wall. That figure is a floor. Because the wall must also be sufficient for sound attenuation, a particular site may call for more than the minimum. The current Delano page notes that the height, placement, and design of attenuation walls are determined based on the sound attenuation required under the General Plan performance standards, and that site-specific conditions may require a variance to maximum wall heights.
The setback exception. Within a front yard or street side yard setback area, the wall is reduced to forty (40) inches in height. The six-foot minimum governs the rest of the boundary.
Related provision. Section 20.10.90.2.b requires walls for screening commercial and industrial activities and for sound attenuation as a condition of approval for adjacent commercial or industrial development. In Delano the wall obligation therefore reaches a commercial or industrial project through its approval, and the wall is part of what that project must deliver.
Violations & Fines
Project conditions of approval may withhold building permits or certificates of occupancy until attenuation walls are installed and tested.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are sound walls required against existing residential?
Does the requirement apply if the homes next door are only planned?
How tall is the wall in a front yard or street side yard setback?
Does this Delano section set a decibel limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Delano
California rules heatmap·Compare Delano to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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Decibel Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Kern County handle decibel limits.