Sonora, CA Noise Ordinances: Decibel Limits (2026)

A defining feature of unincorporated Tuolumne County's noise regulation is that it has no general decibel-based standard. Many jurisdictions adopt a noise ordinance setting maximum dBA levels at the property line, often differentiated by zone and by day versus night. Tuolumne County has not done so; the county FAQ confirms there is no noise ordinance for the unincorporated area. As a result, an officer responding to a noise complaint generally does not measure sound against a fixed numeric ceiling. Instead, two narrower sources of numeric or quasi-numeric limits exist. First, statewide California Vehicle Code provisions impose vehicle sound-level limits on public roads (for example, the 95-decibel modified-exhaust standard for lighter vehicles and the 50-foot audibility rule for car sound systems). Second, the county FAQ notes that many land-development projects are individually conditioned to meet specific noise standards, which can include numeric limits written into a project's CEQA mitigation or conditions of approval. Outside those situations, general noise is assessed under California Penal Code section 415's loud-and-unreasonable standard, which is qualitative rather than measured in decibels. The 2024 proposed county ordinance discussed an audibility test (heard at 100 feet) rather than a decibel cap, and it had not been adopted as of the latest reporting.