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

Inyo County has not adopted a community noise ordinance built around measured decibel thresholds. Instead, the County Code uses descriptive standards. In county parks, Section 12.16.110 prohibits any 'loud or unusual noise' that disturbs the peace and quiet. In the zoning code (Chapter 18.78), home occupations and certain uses are barred when they generate 'offensive or objectionable noise, glare, vibration, odor or electrical disturbance,' a qualitative performance standard rather than a dBA cap. The County's General Plan contains a Noise Element that discusses noise compatibility for land-use planning, but the operative enforcement code does not translate that into a fixed residential decibel limit. The decibel figures that actually bind people in unincorporated Inyo County come from California statutes: Vehicle Code 23130 sets in-use highway vehicle noise limits (commonly cited at 95 dBA for the exhaust test on passenger vehicles), and California Code of Regulations Title 21 sets aircraft/airport noise standards for permitted airports. For everyday neighbor disputes, the practical standard is whether the noise is loud and unreasonable (Penal Code 415) or a nuisance (Title 22), not a meter reading.