Quiet hours in El Dorado County, CA — also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time — define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
El Dorado County regulates noise in unincorporated areas through Title 9 (Public Peace, Morals and Welfare) of the County Code, supported by the General Plan Public Health, Safety and Noise Element. The General Plan applies an exterior noise criterion of 60 dB Ldn at outdoor activity areas for residential uses and 65 dB Ldn at the building facade. In the Tahoe Basin, additional noise standards in TRPA Code of Ordinances Chapter 23 apply. Vacation home rentals (Chapter 5.56) are subject to specific 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. quiet hours. Active disturbances are enforced by the El Dorado County Sheriff under California Penal Code Section 415.
El Dorado County's noise authority sits in Title 9 of the County Code (Public Peace, Morals and Welfare) and is interpreted alongside the County General Plan Public Health, Safety, and Noise Element. The General Plan establishes the County's exterior noise level criteria: 65 dB Ldn at residential building facades facing identified noise sources, and 60 dB Ldn at outdoor activity areas. In rural portions of the County a 60 dB Ldn criterion is applied at a 100-foot radius from residences. While the County Code does not impose blanket county-wide overnight curfew hours on general residential noise, Chapter 5.56 (Vacation Home Rentals, Ordinance Nos. 5135 and 5209) imposes specific quiet hours on permitted VHRs of 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. that are enforced by the Vacation Home Rentals Unit and a dedicated 24/7 hotline at (530) 573-7999. Within the unincorporated Tahoe Basin (Meyers, Tahoma east to Echo Summit), the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Code of Ordinances Chapter 23 imposes additional Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL) thresholds. Active disturbances - loud parties, amplified music, vehicle stereos - are responded to by the El Dorado County Sheriff under California Penal Code Section 415 (disturbing the peace by loud and unreasonable noise) and Section 370 (public nuisance), which provide statewide backstop authority. The City of Placerville (the county seat) is incorporated and operates under its own city noise code; South Lake Tahoe (in the southern Tahoe Basin) is also incorporated and operates under City of South Lake Tahoe Municipal Code Chapter 22.
Noise violations in unincorporated El Dorado County are addressed by Code Enforcement under Title 9 nuisance provisions and, for active disturbances, by the El Dorado County Sheriff under California Penal Code Section 415. VHR-specific noise complaints between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. are handled by the Vacation Home Rentals Unit and can result in administrative fines and permit suspension under Chapter 5.56. Sustained or repeat noise that constitutes a public nuisance can be abated under Penal Code Section 370.
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