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

There is no specific leaf-blower or gas-powered-equipment ban in the Tehama County Code for the unincorporated areas of the county. Unlike roughly 80 individual California cities that have adopted dedicated leaf-blower rules, Tehama County regulates this kind of equipment noise only through its general Noise Control ordinance, Chapter 17.77 of Title 17, effective September 2, 2022. Under that chapter, it is unlawful to willfully make or continue any excessive, unnecessary or offensive noise that disturbs the peace and quiet of a neighborhood or annoys a reasonable person of normal sensitivity. The county's official Noise Control Program specifically cites a neighbor 'using loud equipment too late or too early in the day' as an example of a disturbance residents can report. Operating a leaf blower during the county's defined nighttime periods (10 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and 10:30 p.m. to 8 a.m. on weekends) is most likely to draw enforcement, while routine daytime yard maintenance is generally tolerated. The county also applies a plainly-audible-at-500-feet standard and looks for complaints from multiple residences. Agricultural activities are exempt. Statewide, California air-quality law (CARB) regulates emissions from new small off-road engines, but that is an emissions rule, not a county noise rule.