Tulare County, CA Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Tulare County, CA, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Primary noise limit
- 65 dB at the property boundary (Ord. Code 5-01-1215(b))
- Fixed quiet-hour curfew
- None - intent/nuisance-based plus dB cap
- General nuisance standard
- Ord. Code 4-01-1070(a) - offensive to the senses
- Planning target (outdoor)
- 60 dB Ldn/CNEL (General Plan Noise Element)
- First-offense fine
- $1,000 (then $3,000 within 3 years)
Summary
Unincorporated Tulare County has no single bright-line nighttime curfew. Instead, the Social Host Ordinance (Ordinance Code Section 5-01-1215(b)) caps amplified and excessive noise at 65 decibels at the property boundary, and the Public Nuisance Ordinance (Section 4-01-1070) bars noise offensive to the senses that disturbs a neighborhood.
Sound levels from Amplified Sound Devices and Excessive Noise Sources are prohibited from exceeding sixty-five (65) decibels, as measured at the boundary of the property on which the source of the noise or sound is located.
Full Breakdown
The County of Tulare regulates residential noise in unincorporated communities such as Goshen, Earlimart, Pixley, Tipton, Three Rivers, Springville, Strathmore, and Ducor primarily through two parts of the Tulare County Ordinance Code rather than a stand-alone hour-by-hour quiet-time curfew. Ordinance Code Section 5-01-1215(b) (the Social Host Ordinance, added by Ord. 3526 and amended by Ord. 3591 and 3619) prohibits sound from amplified sound devices and 'excessive noise sources' from exceeding sixty-five (65) decibels measured at the boundary of the property where the noise originates. ' Separately, Public Nuisance Ordinance Section 4-01-1070(a) declares it a public nuisance to use property in a way that is 'indecent or offensive to the senses' and 'interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property' affecting a neighborhood or a considerable number of persons.
The County General Plan Noise Element sets land-use planning targets of 60 dB Ldn/CNEL in outdoor activity areas and 45 dB interior, but those are development standards, not a homeowner curfew.
Violations & Fines
A violation of the 65 dB limit under Section 5-01-1215 is a misdemeanor punishable per Ordinance Code Section 125, and is also declared a public nuisance subject to administrative fines: $1,000 for a first declaration of nuisance under 5-01-1215(b), and $3,000 for each subsequent declaration within three years (Section 5-01-1235). Each emergency response to the same complaint on the same date is a separate offense (Section 5-01-1230). Complaints go to the Tulare County Sheriff's Office or RMA Code Compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does unincorporated Tulare County have set quiet hours?
Who enforces noise in unincorporated areas?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tulare County
How Tulare County compares: Cities with the Strictest Noise Ordinances·California rules heatmap·Compare Tulare County to another location·View the California noise ordinances overview
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