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

Glenn County's quantitative noise limits live in the Unified Development Code's noise performance standard, Section 15.56.100 (Ordinance 1183, 2006). It provides that 'maximum sound emissions for any use shall not exceed equivalent sound pressure levels in decibels, A-weighted scale, for any one hour' as set in Table B, measured beyond the property lines of the noise source. Table B limits, by receiving zoning district, are: residential (and resource) districts 55 dBA from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and 45 dBA from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.; commercial 60 / 55 dBA; and industrial 65 / 60 dBA. Where the receiving property is a dwelling, hospital, school, library, or nursing home, even in a commercial or industrial zone, Table C caps the received level at 57 dBA daytime and 50 dBA at night. The section also tightens limits for special noise: short-duration or impulsive noise (such as hammering) must be 7 decibels lower than the Table C levels, and unusual periodic noise (humming, screeching, pure tones) is governed by octave-band limits in Table D, with limited additional allowances near sensitive receptors in Table E. The amplified-sound chapter (10.25) instead uses a plain-audibility test rather than meters. These standards apply only in unincorporated Glenn County.