Quiet hours in Mendocino County, CA — also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time — define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Until 2026 unincorporated Mendocino County had no general noise ordinance. The Board of Supervisors adopted Ordinance No. 4558, adding Chapter 8.100 (Noise Control Regulations) to the County Code on April 7, 2026. It sets nighttime quiet hours of 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. countywide in unincorporated areas.
For years unincorporated Mendocino County relied only on state law and the Sheriff for noise complaints, because the county had no countywide noise ordinance even though Ukiah, Fort Bragg and Point Arena had their own. That changed when the Board of Supervisors adopted Ordinance No. 4558, adding Chapter 8.100, Noise Control Regulations, to the Mendocino County Code on April 7, 2026. The ordinance establishes nighttime quiet hours from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. and, during those hours, limits sound from sources such as radios, amplifiers, musical devices and machinery as measured from an adjacent residential property line. The rules apply only in the unincorporated areas of the county — including communities such as the village of Mendocino, Gualala, Boonville, Redwood Valley, Covelo, Laytonville and Hopland — and are enforced by the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office. The incorporated cities of Ukiah, Fort Bragg, Willits and Point Arena enforce their own separate municipal noise rules.
Enforced by the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office. A first response generally results in a warning; a second response to the same location warrants an infraction citation. A property cited more than three times within a 90-day period may be declared a public nuisance and subject to additional civil penalties.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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