San Benito County, CA Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

San Benito County's Noise Control Regulations include an objective, measurable standard: Section 19.39.030 of the County Code, titled 'Maximum Permissible Sound Pressure Levels.' This section establishes the numeric sound limits that apply in the unincorporated county and gives code enforcement officers and Sheriff's deputies a meter-based basis for action, complementing the more subjective 'noise disturbance' prohibition in Section 19.39.020. As is standard in California county noise ordinances of this type, the maximum permissible levels are typically expressed in A-weighted decibels (dBA), measured at the property line of the affected (receiving) parcel, and commonly differ by time of day (a lower nighttime limit than daytime) and by the zoning or character of the receiving property. However, the precise dBA values, the exact daytime and nighttime hours, and any allowances for short-duration or intermittent noise were not available verbatim in the sources reviewed for this writeup, so this entry does not state specific numbers; residents and applicants should read Section 19.39.030 directly or contact the San Benito County Resource Management Agency / Code Enforcement to obtain the controlling figures before relying on them. The limits apply in unincorporated communities such as Tres Pinos, Paicines, Ridgemark, Aromas, Cienega, Panoche, and Bitterwater. They are most often invoked for ongoing land-use noise sources - mechanical equipment, pumps, generators, fixed amplified-sound systems, and commercial operations - where a meter reading at the neighbor's property line establishes a violation. For transient disturbances (parties, barking, a single loud event), enforcement often proceeds under the noise-disturbance standard of Section 19.39.020 instead of, or in addition to, the metered limits. The cities of Hollister and San Juan Bautista set their own decibel standards through their municipal codes (Hollister Municipal Code Chapter 8.28).