San Benito County, CA Noise Ordinances: Industrial Noise (2026)

For fixed industrial and commercial noise sources - manufacturing, processing, mechanical and refrigeration equipment, pumps, compressors, generators, aggregate and agricultural-processing operations, and similar - unincorporated San Benito County relies on the objective standard in Section 19.39.030 ('Maximum Permissible Sound Pressure Levels') of the County Code. That section sets the metered limits, measured at the affected property line, that a code-enforcement officer uses to determine compliance; the more general 'noise disturbance' prohibition in Section 19.39.020 provides an additional basis for action where a source unreasonably disturbs neighbors. Because the verbatim dBA values, hours, and any zoning-based differentials in Section 19.39.030 were not available in the sources reviewed for this writeup, this entry does not state specific numbers - confirm them in the section itself or with the Resource Management Agency. Industrial noise is also addressed up front through land use. New, expanded, or intensified industrial and commercial uses in the unincorporated county generally require discretionary entitlements (use permits, development permits) and environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The San Benito County General Plan includes a Noise Element with land-use compatibility standards, and the Resource Management Agency uses that framework, plus the Chapter 19.39 limits, to impose project-specific noise conditions - equipment enclosures, hours-of-operation limits, setbacks and buffering, and noise studies - as conditions of approval. This is the principal mechanism by which the County prevents and controls industrial noise at sensitive receptors near operations in areas like the Highway 25 corridor and the agricultural-industrial lands around Hollister's unincorporated fringe, Tres Pinos, and Paicines. Right-to-farm considerations apply to normal commercial agricultural operations. Inside the cities of Hollister and San Juan Bautista, the city's noise ordinance and zoning conditions govern industrial noise instead.