Quiet hours in Merced, CA — also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time — define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
The City of Merced has no citywide quiet-hours decibel ordinance. The only codified time-based limit is the industrial zoning standard (MMC 20.12.030), barring noise beyond the property line of residentially-abutting uses from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Late-night disturbances are handled via the Disruptive Parties chapter (MMC 9.64) and California Penal Code 415.
Merced is an incorporated charter city of about 86,000 and the Merced County seat, home to UC Merced. Unlike many California cities, Merced's Municipal Code contains no dedicated 'Noise Control' chapter and no general residential decibel/quiet-hours table. The one codified time-based standard is in the Zoning Code: under MMC 20.12.030(C)(1), industrial and manufacturing uses may not transmit noise exceeding 70 dBA between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. or 60 dBA between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. beyond the property line, and any such use abutting a residential zone may not transmit any noise beyond the property line between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. For everyday residential complaints (parties, stereos), Merced relies on Chapter 9.64 (Disruptive Parties and Gatherings on Private Property), the policy targets in the General Plan Noise Element, and state law. Under MMC 9.64.004, an officer who finds a gathering that threatens the public peace or violates the Penal Code will order it abated and warn the host that a second police response to the same address within 72 hours triggers cost recovery. This differs from Merced County's unincorporated noise ordinance, which uses its own quantitative limits and does not govern inside the city.
A first response is typically a warning to abate. If additional officers must return to the same location within 72 hours, the responsible party and/or property owner is billed for the cost of the extra law enforcement services (MMC 9.64.004 and 9.64.006). Disturbing-the-peace conduct can also be cited under California Penal Code 415.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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