Del Norte County, CA Noise Ordinances: Leaf Blower Rules (2026)

There is no separate leaf-blower ordinance for the unincorporated area of Del Norte County. Routine yard work using a leaf blower is treated as 'maintenance of real property,' which the county's noise ordinance lists as an exempt activity 'provided said activities take place between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on any day except Sunday or a Federal holiday, or between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Sunday or a Federal holiday.' That means routine blower use during those hours is generally allowed, while use outside the window is not exempt and could be measured against the residential noise standards (55 dB(A) day / 50 dB(A) night, reduced 5 dB(A) for tonal noise) or addressed as a public nuisance under Chapter 7.08. Del Norte County does not, based on the sources reviewed, ban gas-powered blowers or set a blower-specific decibel cap the way some larger California jurisdictions do. (Note that California separately phased in zero-emission requirements for new small off-road engines statewide, an air-quality measure rather than a county noise rule.) These county hours apply in unincorporated communities such as Smith River, Hiouchi, and Bertsch-Oceanview; Crescent City sets its own rules.